Second Chances
by chadmaako
Summary: What if, somehow, Willow couldn't do the spell needed to bring Buffy back at the start of Season 6? What if, instead, Buffy was allowed by the Powers That Be to say goodbye to the one person that understood her? What if she asked that person a favor? What if that person said yes? How would things change? Let's find out together, shall we? Rated T for language and sexual situations.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Notes: **This is a bit of something I had rattling around inside my head, basically because I thought Joss Whedon missed a great opportunity to have Buffy pass the torch off to Faith for the last two seasons of the show. I have heard that there was talk of him doing this, but I've never been able to substantiate this.

So this is my take on what might have been. If Giles had somehow found out about what Willow and gang were planning to do and was able to do something about it.

As always, read and review. Let me know it it's something you might want to read more of in the future. Thanks for your attention.

And I don't own Jack Squat of any and all things Whedon. He owns the world. I'm just playing in it.

**Chapter 1**

Faith rolled over fitfully, trying to find sleep. The thin prison mattress offered little in the way of comfort. She flopped onto her back and stared at the gray ceiling of her tiny cell. If she wanted to be honest with herself, she knew the reason she couldn't sleep. Every night it was the same dream. The same damnation for the things she had done.

For some reason, however, tonight was different. It was as though the part of her that was the slayer, the ancient line of warrior women that turned a trash-talking street punk from Boston into something of worth was warring with her human aspects. The slayer was trying to tell her something. She could feel it in the air. In her heart. In her _soul_.

Something terrible had happened.

She let out a long sigh. "Time to face the music." She said to the emptiness of her cell. She closed her eyes, steadied her breathing and after what seemed like hours, she found slumber.

_She stood atop the building, as she had so many nights before. Waiting for the inevitable conversation she was destined, once again to have with her golden counterpart. She sighed as she heard the light footsteps._

_ Buffy came out onto the roof to see Faith standing there. She could hear a helicopter flying in the background._

_ "Here we go again." Faith said, softly. _

_ "Not this time." Buffy said. Her voice was incredibly calm._

_ Faith turned and regarded her. She raised an eyebrow. Night after night she was used to seeing the blonde slayer in the same outfit. The black slacks, the black t-shirt and the mango (because the great Buffy Summers would never be caught dead in something that was 'orange') over shirt. The girl's hair was long and wavy last time Faith had seen her. Now, she stood in a simple white sweat shirt and a pair of khaki pants. Her hair hung in a straight golden wash down her shoulders._

_Faith found it almost comical that she was so wrapped up in Buffy's appearance. Having the same dream night after night made one take note of absolutely everything. Especially if the dream changed. _

"_B…" _

"_You're sorry." Buffy said, nodding. "I know." _

"_Just tell me how to make it right. How to make it better." Faith said, her voice shaking. _

_Buffy finally turned and looked at her. "That's why I'm here." She stepped forward and took Faith's trembling hands. She looked at them. "You're strong, Faith. When you take away all the crap…all of the bullshit." She lifted her eyes to those of her dark counterpart. "You're a slayer. Just like I was." _

_Faith heard the girl's choice of words and furrowed her brow. "What…?" _

"_It's up to you, now."She sighed and turned toward the city. "Do it better than I did, yeah?" _

"_What are you talkin' about, B?" Faith asked, moving up beside her. "I'm not the slayer you are. I never was." _

"_No Faith, you weren't." Buffy offered. "If the world needed another slayer like me, they'd have called a prissy little valley girl with man trouble." She looked at Faith and smiled. "They didn't. They called a hardcore, cleavage flashing, slick five-by-five bitch." She chuckled. "Exactly what the world needed." _

"_I don't get it, B. What…?" She looked around. The helicopter was frozen in midair. The sounds of the world were muted. "What is all of this?" _

"_It's a goodbye, Faith." She shook her head. "My time is up. I've done my part. Served my tour. Now it's your turn. A chance to be what we, _I _knew you could always be." _

_A sudden icy fist gripped Faith's stomach and squeezed. "What…" She sobbed. "What are you saying, B…Buffy?" _

"_Been a while since you called me that." Buffy said. "I'm dead, Faith." _

"_You're…" _

"_Dead. Pushing up daisies. Six feet under. Paying the ferryman." Buffy said, simply. "I'm an Ex-slayer now." _

"_But…" Faith said, her voice trembling. "You can't die. You're Buffy fucking Summers." Her head shook back and forth. "You did it right. You were the best of us."_

"_The powers that be disagree, apparently. I met my apocalypse aversion quota." She frowned. "Five, if memory serves. One more and I would have gotten a free set of steak knives."_

_Despite the pain that she was feeling, Faith giggled. "That was pretty funny." _

"_I'm here because you deserve to know, Faith. And because I need to ask you a favor." _

"_Anything Buffy." Faith said. "I'll do anything to square things with you." _

"_Promise me you'll look after Dawn. They're gonna need you in Sunnydale." _

_Faith bit her lip. "I'm in prison, remember?" She looked into those beautiful hazel eyes. "This is where you wanted me. Where you thought I belonged." _

"_You killed people, Faith." Buffy said. "But…I have blood on my hands, too." _

"_Look, B. We both played a part in Finch's…" _

"_I'm not talking about Finch, Faith." Buffy looked at her. "About a year before you showed up in Sunnydale…" She sighed. "I let a boy get turned into a vampire. I could have saved him…and I didn't. I let him die." _

_Faith was incredibly shocked by this. "What?" She wasn't sure she was hearing what she thought she was hearing. _

"_His name was Billy Fordham. He had terminal brain cancer and wanted Spike to turn him into a vampire. In exchange for me, Spike agreed. He was gonna sacrifice an entire club full of people to make it happen. I hated him for what he was doing, but…" _

"_Couldn't really blame him for wanting to do it?" Faith asked. _

_Buffy gave a small nod. "He was terrified of dying. I get that, I do." _

"_But murder is murder." Faith said. "I know the feeling." _

"_If you get right down to it…" Buffy turned to Faith. "I should have been in here with you." _

"_Nah, B. What you did?" She shook her head. "You just gave an asshole what he wanted. He was looking for the ferryman. You just walked him to the river." _

"_Awful deep insight, there." _

"_Hey, you started the mythology ball rollin' B." Faith said. "Point is, in your case, he wanted to be a vampire. Yeah, he didn't really know the risks, but it was what he wanted. He got it. Someone neglected to mention that part where the slayer stakes out his grave and dusts him the second he reaches moonlight." She shrugged. "That's what he gets for not doing his homework." _

_Buffy raised an eyebrow. "That's unlike you, Faith. I tell you that I murdered someone in cold blood and you completely justify it." She smiled. "The Faith I know would have called bullshit from here to Christmas." _

"_Don't care what you say, B. You ain't never gonna be like me. You ain't really got it in you." Faith said. "I killed for the Mayor because he asked me to. Not because of some notion that I was being righteous or any of that shit. He actually seemed to give a damn about me. And for that approving smile, I was willing to do anything for him." She shook her head. "You ain't a killer, B. Yeah, you'll beat the shit out of people, but you don't really do the whole murder bag. At least, not the way I did it." _

"_You never did promise me." Buffy said, after moment of staring into Faith's whiskey brown eyes. _

"_I can't B." Faith said. "I'm in here twenty five to life. I'm up for parole in fifteen years if I'm lucky." _

_Buffy smiled. "Don't be so sure of that, Faith." _

"_I promise I'll do what I can, B." Faith said. "That's all I got for you." _

_Buffy stepped up and pulled Faith down, kissing her with all the passion and sensuality she could muster. "I know you've been wanting to do that since you got to Sunnydale." _

"_Can't argue with that." Faith said. _

"_You remember what I said to you in Angel's apartment?" _

_Faith gave a curt nod. "If I apologized to you, you'd beat me to death." _

"_If you did, would you mean it?" Buffy asked. There was no condemnation in her voice. Just simple curiosity. _

"_Of course I would." Faith said, on the verge of tears. "I'd do anything…" _

"_Say it." Buffy said. "Apologize to me." _

"_I'm so sorry. What I did to you…you were right. I've heard the stories. Red, Xan, Tweed. They all say the same thing. You've been beat down and broken…" She began sobbing. "But I was the only one that really made you feel like a victim. You shouldn't forgive me. Not ever." _

_Buffy stepped up and hugged her. "And that's why I do, Faith. Because of how you feel at this moment. No amount of my being angry with you will ever punish you as much as your own mind. You screwed up. I won't debate that, but you have a chance now. You have an opportunity to get back on the path." She pushed her to arm's length. "You have to be a hero now. You can't wallow in self-pity and guilt. Giles would tell you to have a stiff upper lip and soldier on…or some bullshit like that." She smiled. "He might throw the words ponce, bullocks and bugger in their somewhere. Still a little shaky on the British-isms." _

_Faith smiled and wiped her eyes. "I'm gonna try to get outta here. Try talking to the Watcher's council and see about getting back on the roster." _

"_That's what I was hoping to hear. Though, to be fair, they might be coming to you very shortly." Buffy offered. "I actually got back in the picture with them a few months ago." _

"_I'm gonna miss you, B." Faith said. "I should have tried harder to be friends." _

"_I should have tried harder, too." Buffy said. She turned and looked over her shoulder. "Yeah, yeah. I'm coming, hold your horses." She looked back to Faith. "Time to go. Take care of Dawnie for me." _

"_I will, B. That's a promise." Faith said. "You were the best, B. Always will be." _

"_Live past your twenty first birthday, Faith." Buffy waved as she backed away. "And you'll have me beat." _

"_Only two years and change. I can do that." Faith said. "Bye, B." _

"_Goodbye, Faith." She pointed to her eyes and back at the brunette slayer._

"_Even in the shower?" Faith said. _

"_Letch." Buffy said, before vanishing in a blinding flash. _

_Faith sighed and smiled. "She didn't say no." _

Quentin Travers tucked his copy of _The Daily Telegraph _under his arm and unlocked the door to his office. He slipped the keys back into his pocket. He kick-nudged the door closed with his foot, reading the front page article. He sipped his tea and set his cup and the paper on his desk before taking a seat in the large high-backed leather chair.

He set about looking over the reports from the Watchers in the field. So engrossed was he in what he was doing that the knock on his door physically startled him. "Bloody hell." He said softly. "It's open." He shouted.

Nigel, a young, but gifted Watcher, and Quentin's assistant, stepped into the room. His face was a mask of solemn calmness. The stoic blankness, however, spoke volumes to the elder man. "Sir." He said, stepping up to the desk, setting a manila folder on it. "You should read this."

"What is it?" Quentin asked, lifting it and flipping it open. As he lifted the photograph on top of the papers, Nigel answered him.

"It's the report from Rupert Giles. There's been a…complication in Sunnydale, sir."

Quentin stared at the photo. The image was of Buffy Summers, the only active slayer in the world, lying dead and broken upon a large heap of flotsam. Quentin found it strange that she had a smile upon her still face. "This is verified?" He asked, looking up at Nigel.

"It is, sir." The young man fought past the lump in his throat. "Buffy Summers perished in the line of duty."

Quentin set the photograph down and looked over the report. He was elated that Glorificus had been stopped. The world was at least spared from that catastrophe…but the price was too high. There was absolutely no love lost between him and Buffy. As far as he was concerned, the girl was belligerent, disrespectful and grossly undisciplined. She bucked authority whenever it suited her and refused to take parts of her training seriously.

But all of that aside…he respected her. She'd fought hard and well against seemingly insurmountable odds time and again and managed overcome them each and every time. She was a very, very effective slayer. She was very good at what she did. He couldn't, and wouldn't, take that away from her.

"Sir." Nigel said. "What are we going to do? Miss Summers was the only slayer. She's passed away once already. The line no longer runs through her." He shook his head. "There are no slayers. The line is dead."

Quentin slowly lifted his eyes to the young man. He absolutely hated what he was forced to say next. "That, my dear Nigel, is where you're wrong."

"What do you mean, sir?" Nigel asked. He was confused by that statement.

"There's another slayer." Quentin said.

"You don't mean…"

"Faith." Travers said, his tone like iron. "She's our current slayer, Nigel."

"But sir. She's in a coma. She may never recover."

Quentin sighed and motioned to a chair. "Have a seat, Nigel. What I'm about to tell you is considered classified. You will repeat this to no one, am I understood?"

Nigel took a seat and nodded. "You have my word."

"Faith Lehane is not in a coma." Quentin said. "She's in prison. She is currently serving prison time for the murder of Professor Lester Worth. She woke from her coma over almost a year and a half ago. She had an…altercation with Buffy and fled to Los Angeles. While there she clashed briefly with the vampire Angel…"

"Angelus, sir?"

"Our sources say he's…reformed. He fronts a supernatural detective agency of sorts, or so they say. She contracted out to a law firm called Wolfram and Hart to kill him. He somehow managed to get her to come to terms with what she'd done and convinced her to turn herself in. She's served a year and some, where she remains to this day."

"Are you…are you saying that our only hope lies with a convicted murderer?" Nigel asked. "Surely not."

Quentin raised an eyebrow. "Desperate times, Nigel."

"Are you seriously going to attempt to free her?"

"We are decidedly out of options, my good man. It seems we have no choice but to gain…" He smiled. "A little Faith."

"Let us just hope we are not making a tremendous mistake."

Rupert Giles sat on his sofa and sipped the brandy he'd poured himself. It had been a little over three days since Buffy's memorial. And he was pretty certain he hadn't stopped drinking or crying in all that time. The young slayer was the closest thing to a daughter he'd ever had.

And he'd miss her for the rest of his days. There was no arguing with that. When Willow had spoken to him about attempting to get Spike's Buffybot up and running to take on the slaying duties, he wasn't sure how to feel about it.

He couldn't fault the idea. It had an incredible amount of merit, it really did. So he voiced his approval, remarking that it was a rather good idea. But there was a part of him that thought it would almost be a betrayal of the golden haired slayer. She had earned her peace. He knew full well that was what 'death being her gift' had meant.

Buffy's gift was peace in the afterlife. In his estimation, none he'd met before deserved to find peace and happiness more than Buffy Anne Summers. "You were the best of us." He said, lifting his glass to the air in a toast. He drained the glass and sighed, looking about his flat. "None of it means a damn anymore." He said, dejected. "Not me, not them…not a bloody bit of it."

The ringing of his phone startled him. He rose unsteadily to his feet and retrieved it, dropping it before managing to get it up to his ear. "Yes…Giles. What?" He stammered.

"Rupert." A stern voice said from the other end. "It's Quentin."

"Oh, Quentin…I was just…not thinking about you." Giles said indignantly. "But you've pretty well shot that to hell, now haven't you?"

"Rupert? Are you drunk?" He asked.

"Drunk?" Giles asked, smiling. "No. Smashed? Three sheets to the wind? Shit-faced? Indeed I am."

"Sit down before you fall and injure yourself. You survived five years as a slayer's Watcher. That last thing we need you doing is killing yourself because you decided to get inebriated and bash your head on your coffee table."

Giles fell into the chair at his desk. "Get on with it, Quentin. Expel me from the council so I can get on with destroying my liver in peace."

"Is that why you think I've called you?"

"Isn't it? My slayer is dead. The only active slayer is dead. The only other living slayer is currently serving twenty five years in prison. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, old chap but the Watcher's Council as a whole, is rather superfluous at this point."

"You're partially right, Rupert. But we've got plans in motion." Quentin sighed. "I need your help, Rupert. _We _need your help."

That actually sobered him up a bit. "What?"

"Faith is in prison. We've had our legal experts looking over her case with a fine-toothed comb. Right now, the only evidence that is keeping Faith in prison is her testimony and confession. There's no physical evidence whatsoever. We've got a law firm on retainer that are experts at circumventing the law. We…try not to use them if we can help it, but they have some experience with our wayward slayer. We believe they can get her out."

"What does that have to do with me?" Giles asked, fearing where the conversation was headed.

"We need you to be what you were. A Watcher. You will take over as Faith's Watcher. According to what I've heard she's been a model prisoner and wants to do right this time around. She's even bettered herself on the inside. She's attained her GED and works in the library."

"Not what I would have expected from Faith, to be honest."

"I agree. But it seems that we haven't a lot of options left. Buffy was a superb slayer, Rupert. I know you cared a great deal for her. Despite my personal feelings for the girl and her attitude…she will be missed. I…I wish I'd have gotten the time to know her better."

"It wouldn't have made a difference, Quentin." Giles said, a smile creeping into his voice. "She's American. That's enough of a reason to dislike her."

"Nevertheless." Quentin offered. "She was a remarkable girl and should be remembered as such."

"Yes, she should." Giles said.

"We need you to travel to Los Angeles and meet with the law firm we have on retainer."

"Who exactly am I going to Los Angeles to see?"

"She's the current vice president of a law firm that by and large are no strangers to the supernatural element. And they've had dealings with our slayer before…"

Lilah Morgan, turned in her chair and opened the large file cabinet behind her and pulled the drawer open, sliding the thick manila folder in place, before pushing it closed. She spun back to her desk and jotted a few notes on the legal pad in front of her before setting it aside. She looked at her clock and noticed that it just after eleven in the morning.

She nodded and slid the pen in to the expensive display holder and rose from her desk, deciding to take an early lunch. The phone on her desk rang, indicating that it was the receptionist. She sighed heavily and, with all thoughts of lunch abandoned, sat and hit the button. "This is Lilah." She said, her tone professional.

"I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am. I have a man down here that says you have a mutual friend in common. He says his name is Rupert Giles."

Lilah furrowed her brow. The name didn't sound familiar to her at all. "I don't know any…"

"He said it's regarding Faith Lehane." The girl offered.

That made her stop. "Send him up." She said, finally.

"Yes, ma'am." The call ended.

Lilah turned in her chair and pulled out the keys from her pocket. She then unlocked the bottom drawer of the cabinet behind her and opened it. She sifted through the folders and pulled out the file with Faith's name scrawled across the tab. She nudged the door closed and turned back to her desk. She spent a few moments reacquainting herself with the information.

A knock on the door caught her attention. She rose to her feet and moved across the floor, opening it.

Giles, dressed in a tweed suit, powder blue button down shirt and black silk tie stood in the doorway carrying a leather briefcase. "Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Miss Morgan." He offered his hand.

Lilah was a little taken aback, but took his hand nevertheless. She'd learned long ago how to shake hands like a man. Women never seemed to be able to get it right. She, however, perfected the mostly masculine greeting. Giles was visibly impressed. She stepped aside and let him in.

"No invitation?" He asked. "Smart."

"I'm a lawyer, Mr. Giles. In my line of work, you learn quickly not to trust anybody." She said, neutrally.

"Just Giles, please. It's sort of grown on me." He moved over and took a seat as she dropped behind the desk.

"So you said that you had business regarding Faith Lehane?" She asked, eager to get to the point.

"Yes. I'm given to understand you know who I work for?" Giles asked her.

Lilah shook her head. "As a matter of fact…I don't."

"Are you familiar with the Watcher's council?" He asked her. Quentin had informed him that she was to be his point of contact. He was disheartened to find that she had no clue who he was.

"We've been able to cobble together some things. We know that a Watcher is assigned to the slayer. We've also found out that there are girls that have the potential to be a slayer if the current one dies. Some of them have Watchers as well." She shrugged. "Honestly, we don't know much beyond that."

"In a nutshell, as the Americans are wont to say. I've been authorized to inform you that the current slayer…"

"Buffy Summers." Lilah said. "We've heard of her. She caused quite a commotion when she came here a year ago looking for Faith."

"Quite." Giles said. "She's no longer a slayer. She met her end a week ago."

Lilah could see the pain on his face when he shared the news. It tugged at her heart, it really did. Losing a loved one was never easy. "I'm…sorry to hear that."

Giles nodded. The condolence was genuine. "Thank you. Now, as you've said, you know a bit about Slayer lore. When a slayer passes, another is called."

"Given that there are – _were_ – two slayers, I'm going to assume Buffy somehow died, but was resuscitated?" She asked.

"That is correct. Now, the slayer line runs through Faith."

"But she's currently in prison and isn't doing the world a lot of good." Lilah said. "That's a hell of a dilemma, but what does that have to do with us?"

Giles pulled a sheet of paper out of his briefcase and offered it to her. It was blank save for a thirteen digit number across the center of the page. "That's a contract number. I was told to hand that to you. You would be able to access some information and know what I'm on about."

Lilah shrugged and powered on her computer. She typed in the number and was surprised. "I've never seen this before."

"Apparently Wolfram and Hart has been working with the Watcher's council for quite some time." Giles said. "I understand your surprise."

Lilah nodded. "So…what do you need from us?"

"We need Faith Lehane released from prison, Miss Morgan." Giles said. "As soon as humanly possible. The Hellmouth isn't going to guard itself."

Lilah stared at him. "You must think our reach to be endless."

"You're a demon advocating law firm, Miss Morgan. You don't get that clientele without having a few aces in the hole."

She smiled. "You're one devious son of a bitch." She giggled. "I like you."

"Miss Morgan?" He rose and leaned forward. "You have no idea."

"Are you doing anything for dinner tonight?" She asked him as she lifted her phone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Just a note on updates for this story. First I wanted to let you know that this is a story that is more wish fulfillment than anything else. I will be updating it as I write it. For the most part, it will be following the plotlines of Season 6, though some things will be changed. I'm not going to spoil it because...then you'd really have no reason to read it, then would you?

It may be a couple of days between updates, it might be weeks. Don't lose heart. I will be updating and will **at least** finish through the end of the series.

Though to be fair, if anyone has seen the only other story I have on the site (137 Chapters and counting), I don't know when to say when, so who truly knows how long I can go.

I may tackle some of the (in my humble opinion) bullshit comics and do a rewrite of them as well. But for now, this is how I think Faith would have handled being in the spotlight.

So, to recap, when I finish a chapter of this, I will beta it and post it. So, you'll be the second to know what's going on.

Thank you for your attention.

**Chapter 2**

"Lehane!" A deep voice dove into the dream she was having and dragged her from her sleep.

She sat bolt upright. It had been almost three weeks since that night. The night the world had lost its golden hero. Since then, she'd written letter after letter to the Watcher's Council, but she'd yet to receive a reply. She'd begun to lose hope. She focused on the large burly guard that stood at the door of her cell. She could see his face through the small window. "What's up Hawkins?" She asked.

A buzzer sounded somewhere in the distance. "You're out." He said simply. "Pack up."

She looked at him incredulously. "What the fuck are you talking about?" She asked him.

"You've been released. Paperwork cleared about an hour ago." He said to her, smiling. "You get to go home, kid." He said softly. "Come on."

Shocked beyond belief, she walked uneasily through the corridors of the prison. She didn't really get it. She felt like she was in a dream. She expected to wake up back in her cell, staring at the gray of the masonry. She shouldn't have been paroled for another fifteen years, if at all.

Silently, she gathered what little she had brought in with her. A worn brown leather jacket, a pair of faded black jeans and a ratty tank top. She was glad to see that they had at least been washed. The jeans were a tad loose, but still looked good on her. She took her wallet and the keys that she carried to her apartment in Southie, and the keys to Diana's house and the bedroom she used to have there. She hadn't been there in years, but she still carried them. She opened up her wallet and noticed that she only had eleven dollars to her name. She nodded.

"Here." The clerk said, handing her an envelope. "This was to be given to you after your release."

She took the envelope and opened it as she walked out of the building. It was on Watcher Council letter head.

Dear Ms. Lehane,

If you are reading this, then our efforts to free you have been fruitful and you are again free to commit to your calling.

Let me be the first to offer my condolences for all that has happened. Both Mr. Wyndham-Pryce and Mr. Giles were crucial in our efforts to obtain the truth of the matter regarding your incarceration.

Mistakes were made, Faith. All parties involved understand that. We can only pray that such mistakes are not made again.

Now, it must be made very clear to you. Your freedom is contingent upon your cooperation with the council. You work with us and we will insure your safety and provide any assistance you may need.

It has come to our attention that you have done very well in the year you have been in prison. Please continue your quest for atonement.

Mr. Giles has more for you.

Quentin Travers;

Watcher's Council

Faith read the letter again and nodded stoically. She looked around the exit station and sighed before leaving the building. She walked out of the facility with her head held high. The dream she'd had weeks before was still with her. She was determined to do things right. If that meant jumping through the Watcher council's hoops, then that's what she would do. She made her way out to the parking lot in front of the prison and saw a familiar face.

Rupert Giles stood with his arms crossed, leaning against a red BMW convertible. It was a bright sunny day and the top was down. She stopped when she saw him and was content to stare into his eyes. For a long time the pair merely held eye contact. "Faith." He said, his voice neutral.

"Tweed." She said. "I mean, Giles." She shoved her hands into her pocket and lowered her eyes.

His lip quirked, threatening a smirk. "How are you?" He asked her.

She shrugged. "I don't know." She said. "Still kinda processin' it all, you know?" She looked back up at him. "Look, G. I gotta say this before I lose my nerve." She sighed heavily. "I'm sorry. For all the shit I done to you and Buffy. You tried really hard to help me and I…I guess I didn't see it for what it really was. I let my fear of trusting people screw me all up. I got no one to blame but myself."

"I know that was hard for you to say, Faith." Giles said. "Come on and get in. We got a long drive and can talk on the way."

Glad that she'd gotten the hard work out of the way, she followed his lead and slid into the car. "What happened to that busted ass little Citroen you drove?"

"Spike finally killed it trying to outrun some of the Initiative blokes." Giles said, firing up the beamer. "Long story. I bought this about eight or nine months ago." He reached into the back seat and pulled up a Jack In the Box bag. "I figured you might be hungry."

She smiled and opened it. Inside were a half dozen cheeseburgers. "Score. Thanks, G-man."

"I suppose I should come right out with it." He said, snapping a pair of tinted lenses over his glasses. "Buffy's…"

"Dead. I know." Faith said.

He looked at her. "How did you…?"

"Slayer dream. She came and said goodbye. Asked me if I'd look after little D for her. Let me apologize to her and even told me she forgives me on account of nothing she could do to me was as bad as what I was already doing to myself." Faith inhaled her first burger. "I know I ain't gonna be the perfect slayer she was…"

"She wasn't perfect, Faith." Giles said. "She was human. Just like the rest of us. That's all any of us are." He looked at her. "There's really no difference between you and Buffy."

"Sure there is." Faith said. "A prison record, for one." She took a bite of the second burger. "But I owe it to her, to you, hell, to everyone to do it right this time." She shook her head. "I ain't makin' no promises for tomorrow, just saying I ain't gonna fuck up today."

Giles smiled. "One day at a time."

"Yeah. Me and AA." Faith said. "You got anything to drink in here?"

He reached back and pulled forward a two liter bottle of Pepsi. "The largest beverage the convenience store had."

She popped the top and took a long pull. "It does the job." She let out a soft belch. "Thanks, Giles."

He flicked his eyes to her and back to the road. "Don't mention it." He sighed. "So…I told the others that you're going to coming back to help out."

She chuckled. "Bet that went over well. Let me guess…everyone absolutely hates the idea and would rather I had been gassed or hung."

"They're…not happy." Giles said, simply. "Willow seems bound and determined that you're completely beyond redemption. I'm not sure if she'll ever come around. Though Tara's influence on her might help."

"I remember her." Faith said, sheepishly. "I gotta apologize to her. I was…I was a bitch to her."

Giles nodded, but didn't address the issue. "You have to understand, Faith. Buffy meant a lot to us all. I understand the necessity of having you here, I do. But Willow and Xander…"

"Hey Tweed, don't sweat it. It is what it is. B was the one, man. She was it. I'll never be her, I know that." She shook her head. "I just…I wanna do it right. B forgave me for the shit I did. That means a lot. I'm gonna stand on the line and fight because that's what I'm supposed to do."

"You won't be alone, Faith. I just want you to understand that." Giles offered. "I'll help you as much as I can."

"You were a good Watcher, G." She sighed and looked out the window. "Diana would have liked you."

He nodded. "I've…I've heard of her. She briefly dated my father."

Faith looked at him. "No shit?" She thought a moment. "You know…back when we were training, she was talking about that retreat that she was going to. She said something about a dude that had a son that was a Watcher. She was thinking of rekindling and old friendship. Now I know who she was talking about."

"Quite the ladies man, my father."

"What about you?" She asked him. "I heard through the grape vine you and Mrs. S did the ditty."

He slowly turned and looked at her. "Excuse me?" He asked.

"You and Joyce. Word on the street is you two got a little freaky on the hood of a cop car. When the boss had that Ethan guy make those candy bars that made everyone horny teenagers."

"We…weren't ourselves." He said, wishing to drop the matter.

"Hey, that's cool. Mrs. S is a cool chick." Faith sighed heavily. "Jesus. Someone else I gotta apologize to."

"Her…you don't have to worry about. At least in the strictest sense."

"What are you talking about?"

Giles sighed again. "Joyce…passed away from a brain aneurysm about six months ago."

Faith stared at him long and hard. "Okay." She said, anger starting to fill her voice. "I realize that I don't rate a hell of a lot of thought, but couldn't you of all people have kept me at least a _little_ more informed?"

For his part, Giles nodded. "I agree that we should have. I blame myself more than anyone." He looked at her. "I'm sorry, Faith."

She rubbed her eyes and pulled out another burger. "Are her and B at least next to each other or something?"

Giles nodded. "The Watcher's council paid for the funeral. They even sent flowers. It was rather thoughtful to be honest."

"For them, yeah." Faith said.

"Right now, we're trying to keep up the illusion that Buffy is still alive. The Buffybot…"

"Whoa, wait." Faith said, lifting her hand. "The what?"

"Oh, right. You see…" He shuddered. "I really don't like having to explain this. Spike became…infatuated with Buffy and had a robot fashioned in her likeness created by a local techno-ponce."

Faith looked at him with something approaching disgust. "Do I _even _wanna know?"

"For heaven's sake, I sure as hell don't." Giles said. "Anyway…Willow managed to get the robot to help fight against Glory…a hell goddess that wanted to tear open the boundaries between the dimensions. After Buffy passed away, the Buffybot has been sort of taking over the duties of slaying. Trying to keep up appearances." He looked at her. "It was only a balm until we could get you released."

Faith shrugged. "Hey, if Buffy 2.0 is even half the slayer the original was, then we're still ahead of the curve."

"She's not." Giles said. "She has to the look and some of the moves, but…she's not Buffy." He finished sadly.

"Neither am I." Faith said.

"But you are a slayer, Faith. And if you're willing to commit to your destiny, then I'm willing to help you do so. In time, Willow and Xander will be as well. Things are just…painful right now."

"Truthfully, I can use all the help I can get. Red and Xan have a hell of a lot more field time than I do."

Giles smiled. "Buffy said much the same thing when the Watcher's council came over to put her through her paces."

"She passed, I take it?"

"Strangely, she stood up to them and forced them to re-hire me and tell us what we needed to know about Glory."

"Gotta love the Watcher's council." Faith said. "Okay. So look. I'm gonna need a place to crash until I can…"

"The Watcher's council purchased the Condo that the Mayor put you up in. They made sure it was repaired and refurnished. You'll be staying there." He reached again into the back and pulled out an envelope. "This is yours as well."

"What is it?"

He smiled. "Let's just say that the Watcher's council has had a change of heart."

She furrowed her brow and opened it. She read through the paperwork and smiled. "I'm getting paid?"

"Twenty five hundred dollars a month after taxes. You also have a retroactive balance from the months that you were a potential and active slayer. From the time you were found until you…" He stopped himself.

Faith nodded. "Until I switched sides." She looked at him. "You ain't gotta pussyfoot around it, G. I screwed up. I know that. It's a part of my history. Good or bad, it's my history. The important thing is to not repeat it."

"Very good." Giles said. For the long two hour drive, the pair spoke of what Faith had missed while she was inside.

She regaled him with stories of prison life. How Angel come every now and then to see her. It was a nice relaxing drive. She finished off her food and her soda, thanking him again for the chow.

"I think we'll go ahead and let you get some rest and get together with everyone tomorrow to discuss everything and get the hard feelings out of the way."

"Sounds like a plan. I might do a quick patrol just to get a feel for what's going on in town. Refresh myself with the ins and outs."

"Just be careful. I think word has gotten out that…" His cellphone began ringing as he pulled up to Faith's apartment. "Bloody hell." He said, pulling it out. "I'll see you tomorrow morning, Faith."

"Later, Tweed." She said, climbing out of the car. She took the envelopes with her and made her way to her new home as he pulled away, trying to answer his phone. She pulled the keys out and unlocked the door, slowly pushing it open. She could smell the fresh paint and the smell of freshly shampooed carpets. The walls had been repaired, the furniture was all brand new and still had the plastic over them.

She closed the door behind her and sighed. "Home sweet home." She was glad to see that the municipality was hooked up. She didn't, however have a dial tone on the phone. She shrugged and went about the room pulling off the plastic covers. Everything was crisp and clean. She smiled and shrugged. "Not bad." She saw that even the flatscreen television she had had been replaced. "Wouldn't know we waged a fuckin' war in here."

She looked at her watch and noticed it was just after noon. She put the paperwork in the drawer of her nightstand and slid the debit card into her wallet. She moved over and locked the door, trotting down the stairs. She moved to the street and took everything in. The town was actually in shambles. As she began walking, she saw buildings that looked as if they'd been for lack of better term, melted. City hall was a prime example of this. Yellow warning tape surrounded the façade.

Parts of the street were collapsed into giant sinkholes. She shook her head as she strolled along. "Jesus, B. What the hell happened here?"

Her first order of business was to purchase a car. Yeah, she'd have preferred a motorcycle, but she knew that if she were to be taking over for Buffy, she'd have to have something a bit more spacious than a Harley. So she made her way toward the car lot near the downtown area.

But the more of the town she saw, the more she remembered what came before. Sunnydale, for her had started out as a salvation. It was the home of the mythical Buffy Summers. The girl that defied death. The girl that rewrote the rules. Her exploits were oft sought out Slayer Lore.

Faith had needed help. The most terrifying vampire that, to date, she'd ever dealt with wanted her dead. She came to Sunnydale for help. As she looked around, she walked the streets of memory just as much as those about her now. She'd lied about her reasons for being there. She didn't really see a choice, truth be told. She knew she couldn't tell them the truth. There would have been far too many questions and, frankly, she didn't have all the answers. That and she just wanted to forget.

But, her mind wouldn't allow her to forget. She remembered the fear, the pain, and the sorrow on Diana's face when… She stopped and leaned against a building, she pressed her eyes closed and tried hard not to cry. Being in this city again…it hurt. She wanted nothing more than to walk to the bus station and climb onto a coach going anywhere.

_Besides that, Giles said it, didn't he? They have Xan and Red. They got the Buffybot thingy, right? Why the hell do they need me?_ She thought as her mind began to race. Faith leaned against the wall and sank to the ground. She wrapped her arms tightly around her knees and just cried. All of the horrible memories came flooding back to her. She thought she got control when she was in prison, but…

She wasn't sure how long she sat there, sobbing. No one bothered her. People largely ignored her. With her decision made, she rose to her feet. She turned and began walking. "I've got enough for a bus ticket." She said. "I'm sorry B, but I can't."

"F-F-F-Faith?" She heard a soft voice behind her.

"Shit." Faith said, quietly to herself. She turned to see Tara, the pretty sandy blonde girl that dated Willow. "Hey, blondie." She said.

Tara stood quietly. It was obvious she was nervous.

Faith was kind of shocked, given how much of a bitch she was to her last time they met. "Look, blond- Tara. I um…I owe you an apology. I'm sorry. For the way I acted in the bronze. I'm really sorry. I was a fuckin' bitch and I shouldn't have been."

Tara's eyes dilated as she looked at the girl. "You're…sorry?"

Faith nodded, not looking at the girl. "It was terrible thing to do. I was…I was really screwed up at the time. Look, you don't have to worry about me causin' trouble. I'm fixin' to leave town."

"If you're leaving, wh-why'd you bother coming back?" She asked.

"I don't know." Faith said, leaning against the wall again. "I thought…I thought I was strong enough to do this. To be the slayer after Buffy, but…" She shook her head. New tears began to fall. "I'm not her. I can't live up to what she was." Faith began to sob heavily. "Christ, B why'd you do this to me?"

Contrary to her better judgment, Tara took a step and pulled Faith in for a soft hug. The slayer collapsed against her as she cried. "I'm not strong enough for this, Tara."

The blonde eased her around the corner of the building to a darkened alley and lowered her to the ground, sitting beside her. She wasn't sure what to say to the girl. Tara had always suspected that something had driven Faith's angry 'fuck the world' attitude, but had no idea what it was.

When Giles had spoken to all of them about bringing Faith back to Sunnydale to take up the slayer duties, Willow and Xander were both steadfastly against it. They both believed Faith to be an irredeemable psychotic monster with nothing good left in her. Tara didn't dare speak out because, truthfully, she wasn't present for a lot of what Faith did. She'd only heard what they had to say about her.

Anya, strangely didn't seem to care one way or another. She was, however very pragmatic about the whole affair. "She's a slayer. We need one. Who cares if she's a brutal sadistic killer? She's going to be killing vampires and monsters." She shrugged. "She can be as brutal and sadistic as she wants. Worst case scenario she dies and we get another slayer that probably won't be."

It was a horrible thing to say, but it was very much Anya. The conversation at that point broke down into an argument and nothing was really discussed beyond that. The consensus seemed to revolve pretty much around the 'Faith bad' mentality.

Tara did however, have a private conversation with Giles. And he painted a very different picture of the dark haired slayer. Faith was troubled from the beginning. He wouldn't go into details and she didn't ask. It wasn't for him to say. He did reveal that for a good portion of her life, she had nothing and no one to help her through her dark times.

When she arrived in Sunnydale, she was a perpetual loner. However, no one, himself included, seemed too eager to break her of that. She was never included in anything. Now, being something of a wild child in his youth, he understood the group's responses to her. They saw what Faith wanted them to see; a rough and tumble, devil may care street girl. And indeed that is what Faith was, but it wasn't all she was.

Too late, Giles understood what the girl needed. But she'd already gone to the Mayor and he showed her the affection that he and Buffy should have.

He regaled her of how Faith had trouble trusting. She was afraid to let people in because they would just end up hurting her. Though he didn't go into specifics, he did say that given what he had heard of her previous few years, she was justified in her belief. She was left alone in horrendous conditions with no one to care.

That, more than anything, he felt was his greatest failing. He accepted a lot of what happened with Faith as his responsibility. When she awoke from her coma, secretly, Giles felt her rampage almost earned. He'd never harbored any ill will because of it.

All of this ran through Tara's mind as she held the sobbing slayer in her arms. She could feel Faith's tears soak the front of her soft cotton shirt. "I-I'm glad you're here." She said, her voice barely a whisper. "I don't th-think you should leave."

Faith was surprised by that. She lifted her head and looked Tara in the eyes. "What?"

"I don't think you should leave." Tara said again. "We need help. Dawn…she's lost her mother and sister all within the last few months. She needs someone who knows loss. You've lost people. I know you have. Dawn is going to need that kind of understanding. We just…none of us have that." She gave Faith a soft smile. "And we n-need a slayer. B-Buffy would have wanted you to stay."

Faith nodded. "I know." She said. "But Tara, it's hard." Her lips trembled. "It's so god damn hard."

"I know it is. But…you have to do it, Faith. You're the only one who can. We can't do this without you."

"Tweed said something about you guys having a Buffybot."

"She's a pale shadow of what a slayer is. She's not as strong or as fast as a real slayer. She's a substitute, not a replacement."

"But Red and Xander…"

"They're just going to have to learn to deal with it." Tara said. "Whether they know it or not, you're needed, Faith. You have to be the hero, now."

Faith stared into the blonde's soft blue eyes. "You know…Willow is one lucky girl."

Tara smiled at her. "Feel better?"

"Yeah. I guess I do. It's gonna be hard gettin' back in the swing of things. But I guess I'll just have to deal."

"That's all any of us can do."

Faith nodded. "So what were you doing down here, anyway?" She asked as she rose to her feet and offering her hand to the young witch.

"I-I was just on my way back from the Magic Box. I n-needed to borrow a book." Tara said.

"Well…since some good lookin' witch talked me out of going to the bus depot, I was thinking of picking up a car. I'll give you a ride if you wanna come with."

Tara nodded. "O-okay."

Faith walked along, talking with the blonde about how she'd been since the last time they spoke. For some reason, she felt really comfortable talking to the girl. She could definitely see what Willow saw in her. She was pretty, intelligent and had a wonderful personality.

Faith made her way onto the lot and perused the cars on offer. She didn't want a hatchback or anything that looked like an electric shaver, as most modern cars seemed to. She stopped as she saw the gun metal gray 1971 Plymouth Roadrunner. She moved closer and gave it a once over. "This is sweet." She said, happily.

Tara stood by patiently, letting Faith get her drool on. She saw the salesman moving closer. "Incoming." She said, quietly.

Faith looked at her and followed her eyes to the man approaching. "Hey." She said, offering her hand. "Name's Faith."

"Travis." He said. "She caught your eye, huh?"

Faith nodded. "I see she's got the Hemi badge. Is that what's under the hood?"

He moved around and hit the release. Faith reached underneath the bonnet and lifted it up, securing it. She could see the shaker on top of the air cleaner with a big white 426 Hemi scrawled across it. "Brand new. Owner put it in just before he traded it in. Got about fifteen thousand miles on it. Barely broke in. We've gone over everything. It's pretty solid. Man knew what he was doing."

"Why'd he trade it in? What was wrong with it?" Faith asked him.

"Nothing. He said he needed something a little cheaper to feed. This thing gets crap for mileage."

She furrowed her brow. "He did all that work and he's worried about gas mileage?"

He shrugged. "Go figure. Figure at least sixteen grand for the engine alone. Not to mention all the other work he did on it. Transmission, shocks, rear end. Guy must have dropped at least twenty to twenty five grand on it. Not to mention the paint. It's a good job. No bubbling or rippling." He shook his head. "If I didn't have a wife and kids, I'd consider picking this one up for myself."

Faith nodded. "What's she laying down?"

"Paperwork says the Hemi should put down four twenty five." Travis said, grinning. "But this is a crate engine direct from Mopar."

"So what's the Dyno say?"

"Four eighty and change." He chuckled. "She goes like a bat outta hell."

"I bet." Faith said. "Let me hear her sing."

"You got it." He sat down behind the wheel, pumped the gas twice and fired the car up. It immediately roared to life. He pushed the pedal down and the motor screamed into the afternoon air. She looked everything over and nodded, happily. "So how much are you guys asking?"

"Well…" Travis said, looking it over. "Given what we gave him on trade in, she's a steal. We're asking twenty five, five."

Faith pursed her lips. With taxes and licensing, that would pretty much wipe her out. "I don't know. You're getting into '68 to '70 territory with those numbers." She bit her lip. "I can get the '70 Hemi Roadrunner off of Craigslist for that."

"True." He said. "But those cars don't come with any kind of guarantee. And the chances are the one you buy is gonna have been beat to shit."

She had to concede that. "Touche." She said, nodding. "Truthfully, twenty is about as high as I can go on it."

"That's taking a hell of a chunk off." He said. "I don't know if I can do that."

"I've got that to spend today." She said. "And I don't mind having to ankle express it."

Tara watched the pair. She had to give Faith credit. She knew how to bargain.

"But you're talking about a twenty plus percent reduction. That's a lot of green."

"True enough. But don't kid yourself. As cool as this ride is, it's gonna do a lot of sitting on your lot, bud. Yeah, it's got the name, but it isn't the rig people are clamoring for. They want the old rigs. The early Roadrunners are the popular models. This will get people noticing, but it isn't gonna attract a lot of buyers."

Travis kicked himself for thinking that she was just a young girl with money to burn. This one _actually _knew her shit. "It's still a classic muscle car…"

Faith lifted her hand to stop him. "Listen." She said. "I'm young, not stupid. I've been with enough Gearheads to know the rules. People who buy muscle look for one of two things." She held up one finger. "A project they can rework themselves…" She then held up two fingers. "A completely done rig that they don't have to put the wrench time in on and can show it off." She shook her head. "_But_, the people that buy that kind of shit are looking for the rare rigs. The old school popular classics. The rigs from the hay-day. Sixty five to seventy. After that, the muscle car starting getting watered down and wussier." She pointed to the car. "This, unfortunately falls into that category. I know it and you know it."

He sighed as he stared at her. "You know your stuff."

"I'm a car fan. Never really had a chance to own a nice one."

"Tell you what? I can push it down to twenty two. I don't really think I can cut any more…"

"Twenty one." She said. "That's fair. Six months of having this thing sitting on your lot, you'll have to mark it down that far before someone wants to buy it, anyway. With gas prices what they are, people aren't shelling out the green for monsters like this anymore." She grinned. "You know I'm right."

"Jesus, you drive a hard bargain."

"I'm a woman. We like getting our way."

He ran his hand roughly through his hair. "Alright. I can go twenty one five. And believe me we aren't getting rich off of you by any means."

"That'll work." She offered her hand. "Pleasure doing business with you."

He took it. "Let's go in and do some paperwork."

An hour and twenty five thousand dollars later, Faith pulled off the car lot behind the wheel of her Roadrunner. The engine rumbled nicely. The car felt wonderful. The four speed transmission was tight, the clutch was responsive, the brakes were sharp, everything was perfect. She could see the dash had been redone with modern instruments, yet it still had the style of the classics. The speedometer topped out at one hundred and sixty miles an hour. She was betting the beast would do every bit of that.

She sat at the stop light, waiting. She was happy as a clam. Yeah, she was almost broke, but she was at least mobile.

Tara sat in the passenger seat. "You seem pretty h-happy with it."

"I love this thing. I actually prefer this to the earlier years." Faith said.

"Wh-why?" Tara asked. "Just out of curiosity."

"Well, the older ones were larger and heavier. This one is the same muscle under hood, but has less to pull around. They're a little more aerodynamic and can get a bit better speed." Faith smiled. "There is a nother reason why I like the Roadrunner, though."

Tara cocked her head. "And what is that?" She asked.

Faith looked at her and chuckled. "Meep, meep." She said, before laying a pair of black stripes along the road.

Tara giggled lightly. She was amazed at the change in the girl. Not two hours ago, Faith was ready to give it all up and leave. Now…now she was happy.

Tara informed her that she was currently staying at Buffy's old house. She began giving the slayer directions.

"I remember." Faith said, her tone instantly solemn. She pulled up in front of the house and came to a stop.

"Th-thanks for the ride, Faith."

"No problem, T-bear." She said. "Can you, um…can you tell me where B and Mrs. S are buried? I kinda wanna pay my respects."

Tara nodded. "Sunnydale Gardens. They're right next to each other."

Faith smiled and looked up to see Willow standing on the porch. Her eyes were narrowed as she looked on. "Man, she hates me."

Tara turned and saw her girlfriend and smiled. "I'll talk to her." She looked back in the window. "Have a good day, Faith."

"You too, Tare." She returned. As the girl stepped away from the car, Faith shifted and drove off, keeping her speed reasonable. She pushed the thought of the redhead out of her mind. She had different things to worry about right now.

She stopped by a flower shop and purchased two bouquets. She made her way to the cemetery and placed the flowers on both of the gravesites. She stood quietly for a moment and knelt beside Buffy's grave. She touched the stone and sighed heavily. "Well, I made it, B. I'm here. I'm not gonna lie and say I wanna be here, 'cuz I don't. I almost cracked, B. I don't know if I'm strong enough to be what you want me to be." She shook her head. "I'm sorry for everything I done. I guess there's a reason there ain't more than one slayer at a time. We're not supposed to exist together." She sniffed and wiped a tear away. "But we did have some fun times, didn't we? Slayin' together? Just the chosen two bringin' the whoopin'." She shook her head chuckling. "It was fun back then. I just…I guess I wish I coulda gotten over some of my shit. I'm over a lot of it now, but…it's still hard, B. I don't think I gotta tell you that." She ran her fingers over the epitaph. 'She saved the world. A lot'. Faith snickered again. "Yeah, you really did." She began crying again. "I'm gonna miss you, B. I'm gonna miss that we never got the chance to really be friends. To be close. Back in the day, you tried. Maybe not as hard as you should, but… shit I never really made it easy, did I?" She wiped her tears again. "I want you to know that I'm gonna try for you, B. I'm gonna look after 'em for ya. I'm gonna stumble and fall along the way, but…I'm gonna try. I don't want you worryin' about them." She smiled. "Little D's gonna grow up and make you proud." She leaned forward and pecked the headstone and ran her fingers over Buffy's name. "Bye, B."

She sighed and slid over, staring at Joyce's grave. "Hey, Mrs. S. I'm sorry it had to go down like this. You were one of the good ones. You loved your daughter, you loved all the Scoobies. You had a big heart. I wish I had a mom like you. I think…I don't think I woulda turned out like this if I had a mom like you. I'm sorry I punched ya. I'm sorry for all the shit I did that caused you heartache and pain. When I was on the inside, I thought about you. I thought about what it would be like if you forgave me, learned maybe…maybe to care for me. Got me through a lot of hard nights, let me tell ya. I just wish I could apologize to you in person. Never get the chance, now. I guess at least you and B are in the same place. Two generations of Summers girls in heaven tellin' everyone what's what." She smiled. "That'd be a sight to see, wouldn't it?" She again ran her fingers over the name on the headstone. "I was tellin' B that I'm gonna do my best for the squirt. I got me a purpose now. I know I ain't the slayer that your daughter was, but I'm gonna do my damndest. She's my priority now. And maybe if I do the two of you right by takin' care of her, I might be able to see you both again. Then I can say this to ya face to face…or fist, knowing the temper of the Summers women. Not like I wouldn't have it coming." She chuckled. "You were a good lady, Joyce. A real class act. The world's just a little darker and colder without you in it." She leaned forward and as with Buffy's marker, pecked the stone. "Goodbye, Mrs. S." She said, rising to her feet.

By the time she was done, it was dark. She sighed and made her way back to her car. So engrossed in her own thoughts was she that she was surprised when she heard the voice calling from behind her. "Didn't anyone tell you it's dangerous out here at night?"

She turned to see a vampire, game face and all, moving toward her. "Never know when something nasty might come after you."

Faith stared at him stern faced. He came closer, his face a mask of sinister glee. He was already savoring the taste of the beautiful brunette's blood. He could almost taste it sliding in a liquid rush down his throat. "Good. I was hoping for something to do." She said, turning toward him, determined.

The beast ran the last few steps, looking to take her down. For the year and change she'd been in prison, she'd had only two things to occupy her time. The first was reading. When in her her cell at night, she engrossed herself in whatever books she could to sharpen her mind. Because of that, she could pull apart and rebuild just about everything with a motor under the sun. She could also work wonders in a kitchen.

During the day, however, she did nothing but train, to sharpen her body. She'd lost a pant, shirt and half a shoe size, but she'd actually gained seventeen pound of pure muscle. That in and of itself was impressive enough, but she'd also taken to learning Krav Maga from one of the girls in the yard. She'd always been a very quick study when it came to violence.

As the vampire came at her, she reacted with blinding speed. She took a single step and issued a fast kick directly to his groin. Dead or not, pain was pain. And groin pain, on a man, was one of, if not _the _worst pain that could be inflicted. He stopped mid stride and staggered forward, doubling over, gripping his crotch. She stepped aside, hammering him in the back of the neck with a forearm, slamming him to the ground.

He hit the grass, dazed. She reached up into a tree and broke off a branch, quickly snapping it down to size. She dropped to a knee and drove it home, not giving him a chance to recover. He was a hail of dust a heartbeat later.

She walked away as his ashes were scattered to the winds. The brief conflict did little to improve her mood. She climbed into her car and drove toward the grocery store. She had nothing to eat in her apartment and needed to remedy the situation.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Faith stared up at the ceiling of her apartment. She hadn't slept very well at all. She was so not looking forward to the day ahead. Today she had to face all the people that she hurt. She dreaded what was going to happen. She owed apologies to a lot of people and they were gonna rip into her big time. She was pretty sure of that.

She rolled over and sat up in her bed, rubbing her face in her hands. She got up and moved to take a shower. She stopped and picked a plain black tee and a pair of jeans out of her dresser and stepped into the bathroom. She stood under the hot water letting it pour over her. She enjoyed the first shower she'd had where she didn't have to watch her back. Prison showers weren't exactly the safest of environments. Finally, she washed her hair and scrubbed her body down before turning the shower off and drying herself.

She was dressed and in her kitchen making a few sandwiches when her recently purchased cell phone rang. She reached over and lifted it. She saw the number and instantly smiled as she answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Faith." Angel's deep voice offered from the other end of the line. "How does it feel to be out?"

"A little weird." She said, honestly. "Amazing what you get used to. I didn't sleep for shit last night. Mattress was too soft."

He chuckled. "I suppose I can see that." He was quiet for a moment. "You're doing the right thing."

She sighed and leaned against her counter. "I know. Everyone keeps telling me that."

"It's the truth, Faith."

"I know. I do. It's just hard. Yesterday was the worst. I broke down and cried. Tara, Willow's girlfriend helped me through it. She's a good chick."

"I've never met her personally, but Buffy tells me…" He stopped, letting out a breath. "_Told_ me good things about her. She's been a help to them."

"I'm sorry, big guy." Faith said. "I know you loved her."

"Still do." He said. "Probably always will."

"Ain't love a bitch?" Faith asked, chuckling.

"Some days, let me tell ya. So how are you doing?" He asked, seriously.

"I'm…I'm dealing. I never really got a chance to truly thank you." She said softly. "I hit rock bottom. I wanted you to do it, Angel. I wanted you to kill me."

"I know you did, Faith. I've been to that place. I know exactly what the bottom feels like. It's dark, lonely and terrifying. I never had anybody to help me through it. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. Especially someone who I knew for a fact still had something good left in her."

"You didn't give up on me. And you even stood up to Buffy for me. Not a lot of people would have done that." She wiped a tear from her eyes. "Thank you."

"Angel Investigations." He said. "We help the helpless. Even if they don't want it."

She chuckled. "You actually went with that line?"

"It's Cordy's idea. She can be…persuasive."

Faith laughed heartily. "What two things about her persuaded you, there big fella?"

"It's not like that." He said.

"Uh huh."

"It's not!" He shot back. "Wow, that sounded juvenile."

"I wasn't gonna say anything. Truthfully I wouldn't blame you. You work with someone for long enough, you get attached. I know how it is." She sighed. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. I owe you a lot."

"Just do it right, this time. You've got a chance to be what you were destined to be. And hey, I've been on the receiving end of that. I know you're built for it."

Faith sighed. "Look, Angel…I'm sorry for all of that."

"You needed it, Faith. Truthfully it isn't really me you have to apologize to. It's Wesley."

"Oh, no." She snapped. "Fuck him. He sold my ass out to the Watcher goon squad. What I did to him was deserved."

Angel _really_ wanted to argue with that. "I suppose. Though, from what he tells me, your first words to him were 'New Watcher?' and 'Screw that'."

She giggled. "Yeah, that's about it. Come on, Angel. He's such a dweeb."

"Not so much anymore. He's actually…he's actually pretty handy to have around. He can lay it down when he has to."

"He had to get some skills, huh?"

"He always had 'em. He just never had a chance to use them."

"You'll dig this. I bought a car." Faith said. "'71 Roadrunner."

"Satellite Sebring on steroids." Angel said. "What's it got under the hood?"

"Hemi. Four hundred and eighty ponies. It's pretty quick."

"I would think so. The Hemi in my GTX only puts down four hundred and thirty three."

A knock on Faith's door stole her attention. "I got someone at the door. I gotta go."

"Alright. Take care Faith. Good luck and keep in touch."

"I will." She said as she made her way to the door. "Later, big guy." She said, ending the call. She looked out through the peephole and saw Xander and rather pretty brunette standing there. The woman had a pink square box in her hand. She was smiling pleasantly. Xander didn't look happy. She sighed and pulled the door open. She stepped aside and let the pair of them in.

Xander entered first and looked around as he did so. The girl took a step inside and turned to Faith. She held the box out to her. "We brought cake."

Faith stared at her a moment in complete surprise. "Um…" She looked to Xander. He was just staring. "Thanks?"

"A welcome home gift. That's what people are supposed to do." She kept smiling. "It's German chocolate. Girls like chocolate."

Faith couldn't help but grin back. She took the box and nodded. "I'm no exception. I love me some chocolate. Thanks."

She took the cake and set it on the counter. The girl followed her into the kitchen. "I'm Anya. We've never actually met."

Faith offered her hand. "Faith." She said.

"Two things." Anya began. "First; you are not allowed to have sex with Xander again. You had your chance and you blew it. Second; you are not to strangle Xander. He's mine and I will stab you a whole bunch of times. Okay?"

Faith stared at her a moment before laughing. "Fair enough. I ain't gonna go poaching another woman's guy." She looked at Xander. "Hot damn, I like her."

He sighed, and smiled at her. "She has her moments."

"We should go out for breakfast. That's what friends do."

"Sweetie, we can't." Xander said. "We've got to go back to Giles and talk. You know that."

"Why?" Anya asked. "She's isn't going to have sex with you or hurt you. Forgive her already so we can be friends."

Faith was trying really hard not to laugh. It was rather obvious who wore the pants in the relationship. After watching Xander struggle a moment to figure out what to say, she opted to help him out. "It's not that easy, Anya. I did some pretty terrible things and hurt a lot of people. They don't…"

"So did I." Anya said, simply. "I was a vengeance demon for centuries and they don't care about that. Angel, from what I've been told rampaged through town for months and tried destroying the world and they've forgiven him. You killed what, one old man?" She shrugged. "Who cares? Are you sorry for doing it?"

"Well, yeah…" Faith began.

"And are you sorry for what you did to Willow and Xander?" She interrupted.

"Of course…"

"Then who cares?" Anya looked to Xander.

"It's different." He snapped.

"How?" Anya asked him, moving to stand arms akimbo.

"Because the things you did, the things Angel did…you were a demon. He was a vampire. It's different. You were both evil. You really didn't have a choice."

"Didn't I?" She asked him. "I was the one that took D'Hoffryn up on his offer to be a vengeance demon. I _enjoyed _what I did. And Angel? He _chose _to torment you all. He could have just left town and never come back. But he didn't. He _chose _to stay and fight. He _chose _to try and destroy the world. It was a choice both of us made." She pointed to Faith. "She went to the mayor because he was the only one that she thought gave a damn. I can't blame her for that."

"It…" He looked at Faith. "She tried to kill me, An."

"So? You stood shoulder to shoulder with Angel and he tried to destroy the world."

He was frustrated as hell. He wanted his girl to understand how he felt, but…the ex-demon bluntly raised a very good point. Anya was responsible for the destruction of countless men's lives over the span of eleven hundred years…and she was as much a part of the group as he was. They'd forgiven her full stop and counted her among their dearest friends.

Angel had personally tormented each and every one of them for months before finally trying to have the world pulled into a hell dimension…and they'd all forgiven him.

In light of that, all the anger, all of the damnation he had felt just melted away. "She's right." He said, shaking his head. "You get right down to it, you weren't anywhere near as bad as she used to be or as bad as Angel got." He reached out and pulled her in for a hug. "I forgive you. I'm sorry we didn't try harder to be your friends, Faith."

She was stunned a moment. She then melted into his embrace. "You're a good man, Xan. You deserve better than me." She pushed him to arms length. "I'm just glad I got ya first." She turned to Anya. "You better treat him good or you'll have to deal with me."

"I treat him very good. I have sex with him a lot." She shook her head. "I wouldn't give that up for anything." She smiled. "So can we be friends?"

Faith couldn't help but laugh. "Sure, An. We can be friends." She offered her hand.

Anya pushed it aside and pulled her in for a tight hug. "I like having friends." She stepped back a moment later. "Let's go out to breakfast like friends do."

"We can't, Anya. Like I said, we talked about this." Xander said.

"But…" She looked from him to Faith. "All they're gonna do is yell and be mad. That's no fun." She was pouting now.

"No, Xan's right. I gotta apologize to everyone. It's important and it needs doing. Whether they forgive me or not…" She took Anya's hands. "At least I know I gotta friend to help me out."

The brunette smiled.

"We actually came to pick you up." Xander said.

"I actually bought a car yesterday." Faith said. "I can drive myself."

"Oh…okay." He said, surprised. "Giles didn't tell me."

"Got it last night. Picked it up and gave Tara a ride home. She found me in the street yesterday and we got to talkin'."

"That probably pissed Willow off." Xander said, running his hand through his hair.

Faith went back to making her sandwiches. "I just want something to eat before I go over. It's hard to be all apologetic when you're hungry." She finished up and put everything away. "But truthfully, if Red ever steps out of line and loses Tara, I'm gonna be swooping in to take her, let me tell ya."

"Willow and Tara are very much in love." Anya said as she looked around Faith's apartment. "I think they have sex a lot."

Xander looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You think so?"

Faith lifted an eyebrow and looked at him. "Really? If you had either of those girls in bed with you, wouldn't you?"

"He better not." Anya snapped.

"Let's just get over to Giles and get this out of the way, alright?" Xander said, moving to the door. "Nice place." He said, looking around before exiting.

Anya nodded. "It is a lovely apartment." She too left.

Faith pounded down her sandwiches and made her way to the garage and her car. She climbed in as she saw the gray sedan pull away. She fired up her rig and made the journey, dreading what she was going to find.

She parked and walked slowly to the door of Giles' flat. She was so nervous, her hands were shaking. She knew this was something she had to do. If nothing else, she only had two people left to apologize to. She reached for the door to knock and stopped. She thought of what she was going to say, what she was going to do.

Willow hated her. Plain and simple. The two never really did like each other. The perky little redhead had always been so pro-Buffy it was bordering on obsession. But Faith, honestly could handle Willow. She was used to people hating her for little to no reason. So Willow's attitude was no different. Not to say the girl didn't have her reasons. Faith did hold her at knife point. That's bound to fuck with someone's head.

No, it wasn't Willow she was worried about. She'd make her apologies and that would be that. Whatever else there was, didn't really mean much to her. It was Dawn that she had the most concern for. Her memories of the girl were of a teen that wanted desperately to be cool. She was a lot like Buffy to be honest, but the younger girl always thought her sister was 'square'. Faith actually liked the girl and even after working for the mayor, went out of her way to look out for her. She smiled as she remembered what he said to her regarding the teen.

"If she had been your little sister, imagine the fun she'd be having now. She wouldn't have to worry about losing you." He smiled at her. "I wish I could give you that, Faith. A little sister."

She sighed. Part of her missed him. She knew now that what he was going to do was a terrible thing, but…that didn't stop her from missing the man he was. She understood the need to destroy the beast he was going to become.

But as she got back to her train of thought, she had to wonder what she would say to a girl that had just lost her entire family in the span of six months. The Powers that Be were some seriously cruel motherfuckers. She decided to bite the bullet and knocked on the door.

Giles answered a heartbeat later. "I was wondering just how long you were going to stand out there." He said with a smile. He stepped aside to allow her in.

Faith took a step and stopped just inside the doorway. Xander and Anya both sat on the sofa snuggling against each other. Willow sat in his large armchair with Tara sitting on the arm holding the redhead's hand tightly. Dawn leaned against the counter between the kitchen and living room. She stared at Faith with a mix of anger, elation and despair. Giles walked past and patted her shoulder before moving to stand beside Dawn. "Alright, Faith. You have the floor."

She looked at everyone gathered. "Xander, An, Giles and Tara have already talked to me. We've kinda come to grips." She then looked at Willow. "We never really saw eye to eye, Red. Not on anything. You and B were tight. Almost like sisters with how close you were. The kind of friend that you give a kidney to." Willow nodded, but said nothing. "When me and B started getting into the grove, I know what you felt. At least I think I do. You and Xan were used to being a part of Buffy's slaying. You'd patrol with her, you'd be in on the kill with her. When she stopped doing that with you and started doing it with me, Xander here, I think understood why. But you? You didn't really get it, I don't think. You seemed to think I was trying to steal Buffy away from you, somehow. You didn't get that it was because Buffy finally had someone to watch her back that she didn't have to worry about. At least not to the degree she had to worry about you and Xan."

Willow listened to the girl and shrugged. She gave Faith nothing to work with as far as emotion went.

The girl sighed and continued. "Because of that, you never liked me, Red. Nothing I ever did or said would have made you like me. Now, I'm not saying I don't understand why. Where I'm from? I was a hard person to like. I spoke my mind, did my own thing and went my own way a lot of the times. But even with all of that, I never hated you, Red. I actually kinda liked you. Because you were one of a kind. I could always count on you to be you. Even when you were snoopin' in the boss' office…I was kinda proud of you. I mean…that took balls."

Willow gave her moment. "Do you remember what I said to you, then? When you were standing there in his office with your knife to my neck?"

"You can choose to believe this or not, Red. But I never would have hurt you. Yeah, I decked you, but…"

"I meant every word of it." Willow continued. "You had a hard life." She shrugged. "So what? Being a slayer gave you a chance to something more. And you just threw it away."

"I remember you telling me that I made my choice." Faith said, crossing her arms. "That I had more than a lot of people." She shook her head. "What did I have, Red? You said I had friends like Buffy. But when…when did Buffy, when did any of you invite me to do anything with you? When did any of you call me when it wasn't just purely for backup? Do you even know what the motel room I lived in _looked like_?" She again shook her head. "No, you don't. You don't know shit about where I come from or what I've been through. And worst part about _you_, Red? Is that even now, as you sit here? You don't care."

"You're right, I don't. I don't really care at all about murderers." Willow said.

"That's not true." Faith said, crossing her arms and smiling. "You're actually close friends with four murderers."

Willow furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"Let's start with just who's in the room." She thumbed toward Giles. "I heard about the Eyghon thing. The deliberate summoning of a demon and killing a guy as a result? That blood is on tweed's hands just as much as it is on the rest of the people that were there. And all the people Eyghon took out after?" She shrugged. "And let's face it. He got the nickname _Ripper_ for a reason." She looked at Giles. "Am I right?"

He instinctively began twisting the ring on his left pinky. He gave her a slight nod.

"Thought so." She turned back to Willow. "And then we have Xander's lovely girlfriend. The ex-vengeance demon that's killed more men than the Vietnam War. And what's worse is that…" She pointed to Anya. "_She_ enjoyed it. Didn't you, Anya?" The brunette nodded. Faith went on. "She said as much this morning in my apartment. She chose to be a vengeance demon. Thousands of men…and you've all forgiven her for that. Then we have Angel…"

"He's a vampire." Willow quickly jumped in.

"So?" Faith said. "Anya made a good point about him, too. Angel _chose_ to terrorize everyone in town. He could have left town…but he didn't. He chose to stick around and be a pain in everyone's ass. Yeah, the argument could be made that he was _cursed_ with a soul and all that shit, but you all forgive him for what he did because now that he has a soul, he feels bad about it. Fact remains, _Angel_ still killed a shit load of people and none of you seem to care." She put her hand up to stop any reactions. "And last but not least on our list…is your _bestest bud_, Buffy Summers."

"Buffy is not a murderer!" Willow snapped. "I don't care what you say." She looked at Dawn. The girl stood stone faced listening to Faith. "Dawn…you know your sister. You know she'd never…"

"I want Faith to explain herself." Dawn said simply.

"I will, squirt." She said. "Let's start at the top. Billy Fordham." Faith began. "She left his ass to die in that club. She could have saved him and _chose_ not to. She made sure everyone else got out okay, but him? She left him to get turned and immediately staked him when he rose. Sounds a lot like murder to me. And then there's all the people that Angel killed as a result of Buffy _not_ being able to take his ass out. From what B shared with me, she had him dead to rights and only needed to stab his ass and it would have been over and at the last minute?" She shook her head. "Couldn't do it. That tells me that she loved him, even as a brutal killer, more than she cared for any of you."

"Could you kill the one you cared for more than anyone else?" Xander asked. "It's not that easy…"

"If that person were going to murder my friends and family if I didn't? You're god damn right I could. I'd cry and whine afterward, but I wouldn't hesitate for a second." Faith said.

"Buffy and Angel…"

"Oh…we're not done yet." Faith said. "Even in the line of duty, you all think that killing humans is a no-no. What about all the Knights of Byzantium? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, folks, but they were human. And B was killin' 'em left and right." She shook her head. "You wanna get right down to it, the only three people not directly responsible for the death of a human being is you, Dawn and Xander." Faith said.

Willow furrowed her brow and looked at Tara. The girl sheepishly looked down at the floor. "Tara's never hurt a soul."

"Hasn't she?" Faith asked her. "You're conveniently forgetting about the spell that she did that made you all unable to spot that nasty ass demon that showed up when her family came to get her. How many people did that thing kill before you all stopped it?" She looked at Tara apologetically. "Sorry, T-bear. Just tryin' to make a point."

The girl just nodded.

"Fact is this, Red. People around you have all killed someone at one time or another. Very few of us are innocent. Now yeah, if you want you can throw some us under the bus because of personal feelings, but…that makes _you_ the selfish waste. Not me."

The redhead looked her in the eyes. "That is a heck of a thing for you to say to me."

"Yeah, it is." Faith said. "Doesn't make it any less true, Red. I am sorry for what I did to you. Holding you at knife point and all that. I never would have killed you. You can believe that or not, I really don't care. I hadn't have been the one that found you, the boss's boys would have torn you apart. The only thing standing in their way, was me."

Willow stood and straightened her skirt. She moved to the door and stopped. "This city has enough cold blooded killers and monsters walking around. It doesn't need another one." She looked at the group. "Forgive her if you want. But just remember, that we trusted her before and look what happened." With that, she left the apartment, not looking back.

Tara was shocked by that. "Wh-when I talked to her about coming over here, she said she wanted to hear what you had to say. I thought it was a b-big step for her. But…" She shook her head.

"Don't matter, T-bear." Faith said. "It's hard to deal when someone throws all the shit like that out onto the table." She motioned to the door. "You better go and make sure she's okay."

Tara nodded and left to go after her girlfriend.

Dawn stepped up to Faith. She drew back and smacked her across the face as hard as she could. Her hand stung from the impact.

Faith's head whipped to the side. "Fuck, D." She said, rubbing her face. "What the hell was that for?"

"That was for hitting my mom. And for taking her prisoner when I was at school." She then pulled her into a hug. "This is for you actually being pretty cool to me when everyone else treated me like a little kid."

Faith was a little confused, but returned the embrace. "It's good to see you again, little D." She pushed the girl to arms length. "I'm sorry for your mom and B. It's hard, but you learn to deal."

Dawn nodded. "I still cry myself to sleep at night."

"Probably gonna for a long time. I did a lot of that in the big house. Crying, I mean."

"Yeah but you were in prison with Big Bertha. That would make anyone cry." Dawn said.

"Her name wasn't Bertha, it was Tonya. And she wasn't all that big. But she was…" She looked to Giles as he cleared his throat. "She was a very nice girl and we had a lot in common."

"That meant she was good in the sack, doesn't it?" Dawn looked to Giles. "I _am_ fifteen and do have access to the internet, Giles."

"Yeah. She was pretty good." Faith said. "But you don't get to learn about shit like that first hand until you're like, thirty."

"Oh, please." Dawn said. As they all looked at her, she shut down, looking at the floor sheepishly.

"It's all good, D. Can't stay a little girl forever."

Anya stood up. "Can we go get breakfast now? I'm actually hungry."

Xander sighed. Giles just pulled his glasses off and began cleaning them.

Faith shrugged. "Don't see why not. D? You wanna go grab some breakfast with us? My treat."

"Yeah." She said. "Can we get Pizza?"

Giles furrowed his brow. "Pizza? At ten in the morning?"

"She's a teenage girl, what?" Faith asked. "Nothing wrong with pizza in the AM. Perfectly viable breakfast food. Don't care what anyone says." She looked at Dawn. "I know a place that's down near the docks. It's a little hole in the wall joint, but they do great pizza." She looked at Giles. "You in?"

"I don't see why not." He said, moving to grab his keys.

Xander smiled. "I do like me some pizza."

"Everybody likes pizza, Xan-man." Faith said as they headed outside.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Faith pulled into the space in her apartment and turned her car off. She climbed out and headed inside, juggling the bag of groceries she'd purchased as she pulled out her keys. She unlocked her apartment and nudged the door open with her hip, gently kicking it closed. She entered the kitchen and began putting her items away.

She was glad that things, by and large went as smoothly as they did. Willow was still bitter, but she'd expected that. Dawn had forgiven her and was glad to see her. That, truthfully, was what really mattered to her. Buffy had asked her to look after her little sister and that was exactly what she was gonna do. Everything else paled, truthfully.

She tossed the plastic bag in the trash and looked over at the pink box that was sitting on the counter. She smiled and pulled it closer, opening it. Inside was a nice round German chocolate cake. She pulled it out and pulled a spoon from her silverware drawer. She moved to the sofa, sat down and tucked into the cake while watching some television. It was just after one in the afternoon and she was enjoying just being able to unwind for a while.

For hours, she simply sat and relaxed. After the cake was gone, she dozed off. Her phone rang, waking her from her sleep. She lifted it from the end table and answered. "Yeah. Faith."

"Hello." Giles said calmly. "I was thinking you should probably patrol tonight. Get back into the swing of things, as it were."

"I was thinking that, too." She agreed. She looked out the window and noticed that it was still a couple hours until sunset. "Gonna have to stop by your place to get some weapons, though. I haven't had the chance to beef up my arsenal just yet."

"That's fine. I've got plenty. I'll see in a while." He said.

"You mind if I come over now and we can train a little? Maybe show you where I'm at and you can see what I might have to brush up on?"

"I think that's a wonderful idea." She could hear the joy in his voice. "But if you wish to train, better to meet me at the Magic Box. I have a room set up in the back."

"Looking forward to it." She said, ending the call. She could tell that he was glad to be useful again. From what he'd been saying, Buffy really started cutting him out the last couple of years. Faith had no intention of doing that. She liked Giles. He was a good man and a great Watcher. She could really tell he genuinely cared for Buffy and would have done anything for her. That was always one of the things about Buffy that grated on her. The girl always took everyone in her life for granted. Her mother, her Watcher, her friends. Everyone. But she also saw, toward the end, that it was a bad way to live. Too bad the lesson came a little too late.

She sighed and rose from the sofa. She gathered her keys and went to her car. She rumbled along the street taking everything in. Thanks to some helpful words from Tara, she wasn't as nervous about the town as she was yesterday. It was nice, to be honest.

She pulled up to the parking lot behind the building a few minutes later. She made her way inside to see Anya behind the counter sorting items into the display cases. She looked up at the slayer and smiled. "Hello Faith."

"Hey Anya." She moved around the shop looking at the books and items on display. "Seems like tweed's doing alright for himself."

"He is doing very well. I work for him. He was going to go back to England and make me a full partner…" She frowned. "But with you back, he's staying around."

"Sorry to screw up your plans." Faith said, apologetically.

"It's better this way, I think. Having a slayer in town that doesn't have to keep getting rebuilt every night is much more efficient."

Faith chuckled. "Buffybot isn't quite up to the challenge of handling the hunt, huh?"

"It's terrible, actually. She's not very effective. She has a lot of Buffy's combat abilities, but she's very stupid."

"Well, she might be useful for backup should things get out of hand. But I've been patrolling on my own in town before. Did a lot of that before…"

"Before you went evil and started killing people." Anya said, plainly.

Faith stared at the girl. She wanted to be angry or offended by the statement, she really did. But the tone in the woman's voice was just…there was no malice to it. She was simply stating a fact. She might as well have been talking about the weather for all the emotion she put into it. Faith was forced to chuckle in response. "Yeah, before all of that."

Anya bit her lip a moment. "We're friends, now right?"

Faith moved up to the counter and leaned on it, avoiding the glass. "Yeah. We're friends."

"Then I can ask you a question and you won't get mad at me?"

Faith shrugged. "I guess so."

"Why did you try to strangle Xander?" She asked bluntly.

Faith had to admit, it was a fair question. "I don't really know, to be honest." She began drawing lazy rings on the glass. "I was really screwed up at the time. I felt…I felt that people were starting to turn against me. When Buffy and I accidentally killed Finch I…"

"Wait a minute." Anya said. "I thought you killed him."

Faith nodded. "I was the one that stabbed him, yeah. But B was there in the alleyway with me. When he came out of nowhere like that, she grabbed and slammed him against the dumpster. He hit the ground dazed and I staked him because I thought he was a vampire." She chuckled. "When she came to my room she was doing the whole 'you killed a man' spiel. That one was both of us."

"Buffy…never told me that." Giles said from the door. Faith turned to regard him. "Buffy always alluded to the fact that you were the one that killed him alone. She didn't say anything about her culpability in his death."

Faith shrugged. "Don't matter, now. I just ain't gonna take blame for shit I didn't do. I got enough mistakes to make up for without borrowing more."

He pulled his glasses off and cleaned them. "If she had something to do with it, why did you try to put all of the blame on Buffy?"

"Honestly? Because I knew that no matter what went down you all would go to bat for her." She shook her head. "None of you would have done that for me." She put up her hand to stop him before he could retort. "Before you give me the speech about that being bullshit, keep in mind my mindset at the time. I didn't have a lot of reason to trust people. I was left alone in that motel and no one ever offered to help me. Why would I believe that you all would have lifted one finger to defend me when the law came looking?"

"You have a point." Giles conceded. "We all could have tried a lot harder."

"Even when Red was in the boss's office snooping in those books she said that I had friends like Buffy. She never once said 'friends like _us_'. What's worse was when Buffy came to the docks to convince me not to leave town, she said 'I don't give up on my friends' and as soon as the conversation got difficult she just turned around and started walking away. _I _had to chase after _her_. For someone that doesn't give up on her friends, she gave up pretty damn quickly."

"She wasn't perfect, Faith. None of us are."

"I know that tweed, trust me. I just wanted a break. No matter where I was, what I was doing, I never got one. Yeah, I know, poor me. But none of you, not a single one of you, has had the kind of life I have. You had a wild streak back in your heyday, but I'm betting you still had access to money and family. I mean even Xander has family. People that at least give a shit. I didn't even have that. But none of you know what that's like. None of you know what it's like to know that regardless of what happens you have absolutely _no one _to turn to if shit gets bad. To be completely and utterly alone." She was beginning to tear up. "Trust me tweed, that's not a feeling you ever wanna have. No one should know what that's like." She leaned against the counter and began sobbing.

Anya immediately moved around and hugged the girl. "See? You made her cry." She said to Giles. "Shame on you."

He looked at her incredulously. "I…We…it's not…" He was stammering.

"It's not his fault." Faith said, wrapping her arms around the ex-demon. "It's just a lot of painful shit I gotta get through."

Anya nodded and continued to hold her. "I don't like it when my friends cry."

Faith looked at her and gave a weak smile. "I'm okay, An. Just bad memories." She wiped her eyes. "I'm good."

"You sure? I still know some people that could, I don't know…give him syphilis or something."

"Now wait just a moment…" Giles said, furrowing his brow.

"Nah, it's cool." Faith said. "He didn't mean anything."

Anya looked at him with narrowed eyes. "If you say so." She patted Faith on the back before moving around to finish her work.

Giles let out a breath he was fairly certain he wasn't aware he was holding. "Yes, well…" He said, motioning to the back room. "The uh, training area is through here."

Faith followed him and stopped just inside. "Wow, tweed. Beats the hell out the library."

"I would say so." He said, letting her take it all in. "Buffy seemed to really like it."

"I can see why." She moved over and pulled her jacket off. She opened the backpack she carried and pulled out the rolls of tape and began wrapping her hands and feet. Giles watched her, smiling. She was taking the training very seriously. She pulled on the pair of MMA gloves and slapped her hands together. "Alright. I'm ready. What do you wanna see first?"

"Let's see you work the speed bag for a bit. I'd like to see where your speed is at." He said, motioning to the bag hanging from the stand.

Faith nodded and moved over squaring with it. She took a deep breath and began hitting hit in succession; right, left, right, left. She started moving faster and faster until after a few moments, her fists were nothing but a blur. The room was filled with almost a hum as her hands impacted with the bag. She seemed to be zoning and not thinking of anything else.

Giles was visibly impressed. "Alright, that's enough." He said, nodding. "You…you trained in prison, didn't you?"

She nodded. "Not much else to do."

He pointed to the heavy bag. "Let's see how your form is."

"Been mixing it up since I was put away." She said, smiling. "Started learning Krav Maga."

He furrowed his brow. "I've heard of it, but…"

"It's kind an amalgamation martial art. It takes a lot of aspects from a lot of different things. Kind of like Jeet Kune Do."

"That's the martial art that Bruce Lee pioneered, isn't it?"

"In a nutshell. Like Jeet Kune Do, Krav Maga is about ending the fight quickly. Barring that, it's about giving you a reprieve so you can live to fight another day."

Giles furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

Faith moved up to him. "I can't demonstrate with a heavy bag." She said. "I need something with limbs." She motioned for him to come at her.

"Remember, I'm not a slayer." He said, squaring off with her.

"Okay. Most attackers usually lead off with a punch. Right of left, it really doesn't matter." She signaled to attack her. He loosed a fairly quick right cross. She caught his wrist with her left hand and gave a sharp twist, just to demonstrate the damage that could be done. She then pulled his arm forward. He quickly overbalanced and stumbled. She turned slightly and brought her knee up, connecting with his abdomen gently and bringing her left forearm down to impact across the back of his neck. "This would have ended the fight almost immediately. Especially with the slayer strength." She helped him back up. "Broken wrist, internal bleeding and paralyzed from the shoulders down. Just like that."

He nodded. "Very effective. I had not thought of such a combination. I'm ashamed I never looked into it."

Faith nodded. "And truth be told, it's not that difficult to learn. The movements are quick and minimal. It's about doing as much damage as possible in the shortest amount of time."

"You said something about it being able to give you a reprieve?" He said.

She moved to the heavy bag. "Application of strength." She said to him. She took a step and planted her foot into the bag, while leaning back a bit. The bag swung nearly to the roof. She caught it as it came back down. "Getting the other guy away from you so you can get away." She pointed to a large body pad against the wall. "Here." She said, handing it to Giles. "I'll show you what I mean."

He took it and held it up.

"Brace yourself as best you can. I'm not gonna go all out, just enough so you can see what a normal guy can do with something like this." She said. "It's not so much about strength as it is about leverage and force."

Giles, his interest piqued, braced himself with his left leg back and his shoulder forward to absorb the impact. "I'm ready."

Faith took a step so she was a half a pace away from him. Her foot came up and hit the pad dead center, her knee bent. She then thrust forward, straightening her leg, forcing Giles to take several steps backward. "And there it is. By the time you recover and can come back at me, I'm long gone."

He nodded, smiling. "That's rather effective."

"And Krav Maga ain't afraid to use a guys sack as a speed bag." Faith said. "But I won't demonstrate that stuff."

"I rather appreciate that." He said.

She went over to the large bag and began working it with punches and kicks. "Of course I also kept up on the old standbys." Her fists and feet slammed home on the bag. It rocked and shuddered as she beat on it mercilessly.

He watched her intently and was rather pleased with what she was doing. "I must say… you really have taken your training to heart. I can't really find any faults in your technique or your speed."

"Like I said. Wasn't much else to do in prison."

"Can I ask you something?"

She stopped working and looked at him. "Shoot."

"You're a slayer. With your obvious abilities, why did you opt to stay in prison?"

She paced over and leaned against the wall, her arms crossed. "Why didn't I bust out?"

"There was really nothing to stop you." He said, quizzically.

"I stopped me." She sighed heavily. "Truthfully, I needed the alone time. The time away from the problems and the bullshit. The time away from the world. Being in prison gave me that. It gave me a chance to sit and mull everything over." She chuckled. "It's not like prison is really dangerous for someone like me. Lotta girls tried their hand. Lotta girls ended up in the infirmary." She looked at him. "I never killed anyone on the inside. Just beat a few of them down. After the first month or so, I was largely left alone." She shook her head. "I stayed inside because it's where I needed to be. B was right. It was where I belonged."

He watched her a moment. He was amazed at the transformation. Before, when he'd first met the girl, she was angry. Angry at the world, angry at the people around her and most importantly, angry at herself. It was no great surprise that there was little, if any, love lost between Angel and himself. But, of the vampire, he was grateful that he was able to get through to Faith before she'd fallen too far. Her redemption was directly the doing of the ensouled vampire. And Giles would be ever thankful for it. "I think you made the right choice. You look like you've come to terms with a lot of your past and are working hard to make it through the rest. Just remember that you have friends now. You don't have to go it alone anymore."

She looked at him and nodded. "I know, tweed. And I think this deserves saying. You're one of the greatest men I've ever met. You give a damn about everyone so much that it's bordering of sugar-coated. But you have a big heart. And I know…I can tell you're gonna do right by me. You're gonna be with me until the bitter end." She gave him a warm smile. "I trust you."

Giles was outright stunned by the admission. Faith didn't trust. Plain and simple. She never let people in that far. "Faith, I…"

"Don't get gettin' all Lifetime on me. I said I trusted you. I didn't confess eternal love or some shit." She said, raising an eyebrow.

_There it is_. He thought to himself. The hard-assed teenager that she showed the world whenever she forgave herself a moment of emotional weakness. "Yes, quite right." He conceded. He understood how hard it was for her to say and accepted it as the compliment it was intended to be. "This may be a painful question to ask you but, I'm curious. Did you trust the Mayor?"

She sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. "For a while there…" She looked at him. "Yeah. I did." She shook her head. "You gotta understand, G. When I went to him, it was to confront him. Trick had tried takin' me and B out and I wanted to look into the man's eyes who sent him. I was gonna take him down. That was the intention. But then I learned about the whole immortal thing and…I was tired of being treated like garbage, Tweed. He invited me into his office and gave me a root beer." She chuckled. "Who keeps root beer in a mini-fridge in his office? I mean seriously?" She shook her head again. "But he just…the things he said. He was so open and honest. He told me about his plans up front. He said that a special girl like me shouldn't have to be wasting her life fighting a war she couldn't hope to win. He said if I sided with him that he could make sure I never wanted for anything again. He said he knew about Finch's death, knew we were responsible…but didn't care. He thought we did him a favor." She again felt tears flow. "It was…it was the first time in my life I didn't have to worry about anything. I didn't have to worry about where my next meal was coming from. I didn't have to worry about whether or not I'd have a roof over my head tomorrow. He took all of that worry away."

"It sounds…it sounds as if he honestly cared for you." Giles said, moving over to her. "He was almost a father that you'd never had." He moved over to the weapons locker and pulled something out. "I've…I've been hanging onto this." He walked over and handed it to her. It was wrapped in a cloth.

Faith furrowed her brow and unwrapped it. She stood holding the knife the man had given her almost two and a half years ago. She stared at it long and hard.

"Richard Wilkins was a good man, Faith. He actually did a lot of good for this town, but…"

She nodded. "He couldn't be allowed to ascend. I know that now. I think…when I told Buffy in the dream to take what she needed from my apartment, I was trying to help in the only way I could." She looked at him. "You had to stop him, tweed. I know."

He pulled her in for a hug. "I'm sorry Faith. If I'd have tried harder, you wouldn't have had to go to him."

"Is what it is." Faith said. "Look…" She said. "I gotta go. I'm gonna do a thorough sweep of the town and make sure everything's legit. Hopefully get some exercise."

"Take your cell phone and be careful. If you get into trouble don't hesitate to call for help. I'll be right here waiting."

She nodded and waved good bye. Anya was finishing up her daily totals. "Have fun killing vampires." She said, happily.

"Later, An." Faith offered as she left the store and began moving around the town. She kept to the shadows, trying to watch how the people moved at night. She could definitely tell that Buffy hadn't been making the rounds like she did. Even back when she had switched bodies with the blonde slayer, there were far more people on the streets at night. Now, the town was spartan after dark. A few people rushed to and fro, but nothing like it was. "If the people noticed, then vampires have to have noticed, too." She trotted along the streets, moving toward the nearest cemetery. She kept her senses open.

Thus, she was prepared when a pair of vampires made an attempt to pull her into the alley. As the first undead beast's hand reached for her jacket lapel, she was in motion. Her leg shot out to the side, slamming into his ribs, throwing him backward into a pile of trash. She immediately lunged at his companion, cracking him on the inside of his left knee with a sharp kick. As he was going down, she gripped his hair and drove his face into her knee. He tumbled back to the concrete.

She didn't waste any time. She took two steps and slid to a stop, dropping to a knee and planting her stake right into his heart. He puffed away in a hail of dust a heartbeat later. She rolled backward across the alley and spun on her knee, staking the second vampire in a lightning quick motion.

She stood and looked about. She nodded, dusted her knees off and moved on, looking for other prey.

She spent the entire night moving through town meticulously. She was stunned to see how many vampires had taken up residence. She never dealt with more than two or three at a time, but when she finally went to the Magic Box to pick up her car, it was just after one in the morning. She'd started at just after eight at night. And she'd taken out almost thirty vampires. She was sore, tired and hungry as hell.

She stepped into the building to see Giles sitting at the table sifting through a book. He looked up and saw her limping in. "Bloody hell." He said, immediately moving over to help her to a chair. "You look terrible."

"Town's in a bad way, British." Faith said, easing into it.

Giles moved about gathering water, a washcloth and the large first aid kit he kept on hand. "Since Buffy's death, even with all of us patrolling together…" He shook his head.

"I've put a hell of dent in 'em tonight. That's for sure." She said, letting him clean the cuts on her forehead and cheek.

"How many did you find?" He asked her. He dabbed at the wound on her forehead. "This needs sutures, I'm afraid."

She nodded. "One came at me with a knife." She reached into her jacket and pulled out the massive Bowie. "Really nice one, too. Cold Steel Recon Scout. Carbon steel blade, black finish. These things go for about a hundred and sixty five bucks online." She put it in the sheath and dropped it onto the table.

Giles chuckled. "How thrifty of you."

"He was driving a 1983 Cadillac El Dorado if you're interested. It's still parked at the cemetery."

"I'll pass, but thank you." He said as he stitched the cut closed. "American built cars are rubbish."

"Pretty tough generalization, there tweed. America builds some of the baddest cars on the planet."

"Name one."

"Current or overall?" She asked him.

"Current." He reiterated.

"Corvette. As a matter of fact in 2012, in order to run the twenty four hour at Les Mans, they had to de-tune the engine in the ZR1 so the other cars could be competitive." Faith offered. "And then you have the new Viper. Largest engine ever fitted to a production car. 8.4 liter V-10 with six hundred and forty horsepower. Can't beat that."

"Ferrari." He said simply. "Done."

"Yeah, but you're forgetting something. A good new Ferrari is almost two hundred grand. For the same performance and same list of options, you can pick up a Viper for less than half as much."

Giles had to concede that. "But you're naming sports cars. Name me something that is on par with, say, the BMW."

"Cadillac CTS-V. Five hundred horsepower V-8. Zero to sixty in a hair over four seconds and costs about sixty five grand. The BMW M5 has a few more ponies and can take the zero to sixty in just shy of four seconds, but you have to drop over thirty grand more to get it."

Giles finished stitching and stepped back, looking at her. "How do you know all of this?"

"Did a lot of reading in prison. And I retain a lot of what I read." She admitted. "If you really want American cars in their heyday, you need classic Detroit iron. Like my Roadrunner or Angel's GTX. Now that's fun."

He smiled and shook his head. "Go home, Faith. Get some rest. You've had a hell of a night."

"Yeah, I have." She said, rising to her feet. "I'll be by tomorrow before patrol to get some more training in." She patted him on the shoulder before limping toward the back of the shop.

Giles watched her go and sighed. He was happy for the first time in a long time. He calmly put everything away and decided to call it a night. He listened to the rumble of Faith's Plymouth and watched her rip past the store in a hail of tire smoke.

He closed up the shop and made his way to his car, heading for home. The smile never left his face.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After a good night's sleep, Faith felt worlds better. She wasn't the least bit sore or fatigued. She considered that a very good sign. "No sign of ring rust." She said, happily. She went in and took a nice, long hot shower. She let the water pound on her pale skin. "Gotta work on my tan. Starting to look like a damn vamp." She scrubbed down and rinsed before stepping out to towel herself off. She'd just got dry and put on a pair of shorts and a tank top when there was a knock at her door.

She moved over and looked through the peephole to see Dawn standing in the hallway with her arms crossed, looking around. She smiled and pulled the door open, letting the girl in. "Hey, little D."

"Hey, Faith." The girl said, taking the small condo in as she entered. "Wow. When I was told what happened in here, I'd have the thought the place leveled."

"Yeah, me and B really did a number on it." Faith said. She pointed to the huge arched bay window behind the bed. "We took that entire wall out when we threw down. Put holes in a lot of the walls, too. Watcher's council must have put together a pretty penny to get the damage repaired." She moved into the kitchen. "I was just fixin' to make breakfast. You want somethin'?"

"Whatcha makin'?" The teen asked.

"Wasn't really sure." Faith said, taking at look through her cupboards. "Biscuits and sausage gravy sound good?"

"That does, actually. My house usually consists of pancakes in funny shapes or cereal. I don't think I've eaten meat for breakfast since mom passed away." The girl said. "I really miss her." She hopped up on the counter. "Buffy too. Despite how much of a pain she was."

Faith nodded as she mixed the dough for the biscuits together. "I was pretty tore up when I lost my Watcher. She was pretty good to me."

"How'd you get over it?"

"Spent a year and a half in prison." Faith said. "I wouldn't suggest it. At least not for you."

"Was it really bad?" Dawn asked, wanting to take her mind off of her sister and her mother.

"At first. You have to deal with the HBIC's." Faith said.

"HBIC? What's that?"

"Head bitch in charge. Every prison has one. I forget the skank's name, but she wanted me to be her new meat. I told her to take a hike. First month or so, she tried her game. When I put her in the infirmary for the umpteenth time, she and her bitches left me alone. After that it was the boredom. But a nice library, a killer gym, three squares a day and a movie every third Sunday. Could have been worse."

"What movies?" Dawn asked.

"Last one was Glitter." Faith stopped a moment. "Guess it couldn't really have been worse."

"I was gonna say. That movie sucked."

"So what brought you by?" Faith asked.

"Willow and Tara were arguing when I got up. I didn't wanna deal with it, so I left. Figured I'd come over here and bother you."

Faith chuckled as she dropped the biscuits onto a cookie sheet and put them in the oven, setting the timer. "You're always welcome, D." She said, pulling her large skillet off the hanger above her stove. "You wanna grab me the sausage out of the fridge?"

Dawn hopped down and did as she asked. "Where'd you learn to cook, anyway?"

"Prison." Faith offered. "Forewarned is forearmed. That's probably gonna be the answer to a lot of things. I spent my time reading cookbooks and stuff. I also read a lot of Chilton's manuals."

"What's a Chilton's manual?"

"I read how to work on a lot of cars. Worked the library a lot and spent my weekends in the kitchens, cooking."

"Prison actually doesn't sound that terrible." Dawn said, shrugging.

"Well, for a slayer, it wasn't. Being able to put your fist through a cinderblock wall tends to make things a little easier. For a lot of the girls, it wasn't so pleasant. Tonya, the girl I liked was in for vehicular manslaughter…she had it really rough."

"What happened to her?"

Faith sighed as she cooked. "She'd been there for about a year before I got there. She was doing a four year hitch, but was eligible for early parole if she kept her shit clean. My first cellmate was there for literally a month. Exactly thirty days from the day I got in. She was some weird Mexican chick that didn't speak a lick of English, I swear. We never really interacted. She left me alone, I left her alone. You do a lot of that in the big house. Anyway, Tonya was made my cellmate after that. She was pretty cute. Short stocky, serious set of tits and a pretty nice ass, truth be told. Little thick for my tastes, but she wore it well. It was genetic for her, I could tell. She worked out almost as much as I did and never dropped a pound. Felt kind a bad for her truthfully. But I tried not to get involved in her shit. Live and let live was the way I wanted to play it. Anyway I was out in the yard just lifting weights and doing my own thing. It was after I'd been taken off the menu, as it were."

"After you'd had to lay the smack down?" Dawn asked.

"Pretty much. Tonya was just there using the bench when a bunch of chicks came up and grabbed her and dragged her off. There was like, six of them and I knew they were running for the big honcho. Apparently, from what I'd heard through the grapevine Tonya was the main bitches…god I wish I could remember her name. I wanna say…Melina? Melinda?"

"Melissa?" Dawn asked.

"I don't…"

"Miranda?"

"That's it." Faith said. "Miranda. Anyway, Tonya was Miranda's favorite toy. She liked women to fight when she took them."

"She raped other women?"

"It's worse than that." Faith said. "I don't wanna give you nightmares, kid."

"Jesus." Dawn said. "Faith, I'm fifteen years old. I'm the same age Buffy was when she started slaying vampires. I'm not three. I do have access to the internet, you know. I've watched Hostel and all the damn Saw movies."

Faith shrugged. "Fair enough. Miranda would have her girls beat the living shit out of the girls…_then_ she'd rape them." She shook her head. "She'd done it to Tonya before."

"So you were her knight in a shining prison jumpsuit?" Dawn asked her.

"Yeah. I stomped some mud-holes in some asses and got her away before she was hurt. We kinda became inseparable after that." She smiled. "That night she thanked me real good."

"I bet." Dawn said. "How much longer is that gonna take."

"About five minutes." Faith said as she mixed up the gravy. "So how are you doin'?"

"Okay, I guess." Dawn said. "It's hard. I cry myself to sleep a lot."

"I know how that is."

"Tara and Willow are trying, though. They take pretty good care of me." She kicked her feet and looked down. "They seem to be arguing a lot, though."

"Why?" Faith asked her. "Or is it just lover bullshit?"

"It's about magic. Willow uses it a lot more than she used to. Tara thinks she shouldn't use it so much."

"Why?" Faith asked. "I mean, I'm no expert on the magical arts and shit, but if she's using magic, so what? It would be like people telling me not to use slayer strength to lift my couch and vacuum under it."

"Tara says that using magic too much can open the door for the dark forces…or something like that. I'm kinda lost on it, myself." Dawn said. "There's a couple of reasons, I think. One is that magic is unpredictable. If you try a spell and you're not strong enough to cast it, bad things can happen. A couple years ago, there was a boy named Jonathan Levinson…"

Faith lifted her head and furrowed her brow. "Dark hair, short – like B's height, maybe a little shorter – kinda dumpy?"

"That's him." Dawn confirmed. "He did this spell that made him like, super awesome sauce. He was supposed to be like, some sort of Superstar or something."

"Sounds like a good spell to know."

"Yeah, except it creates this…demon monster counterpart and when it gets killed, the spell gets broken." Dawn said. "You can be awesome, but a demon has to rampage around killing people."

"Yeah, that would be a downside." Faith admitted, taking the biscuits out. "How many you want?"

"Two please."

Faith plated up the girl's food. "What does that have to do with Red's magic use?"

"The unpredictability." Dawn said, taking the plate. "Willow has never _really_ had anyone teach her magic. And all of her power comes from her emotions. With everything that's happened in the past couple of years, Tara's afraid that Willow isn't exactly stable enough for extended magic use."

"She's afraid Red will bite off more than she can chew and hurt herself or someone else." Faith said, flatly.

"This is really good." Dawn said, taking a huge bite.

"Thanks." Faith said, moving to the table.

"Tara wants Willow to stop using magic so she can teach her the basics from the ground up. Willow thinks she doesn't need to learn what she already knows."

"So they just keep going around and around with it?"

"Pretty much. It's the same argument over and over. I'm getting kind of tired of it, to be honest. I've been thinking of talking my dad in LA and moving there with him for a while."

"I'd be sad to see you go." Faith said. "But if you think that's what you gotta do…"

"I don't really want to."

"You can stay here with me anytime you need to." Faith said. "I mean, I only got the one bed, but I'd let you have that and I'd sleep on the couch."

"I know you're capable of a lot of things, Faith, but I really don't see you molesting me in my sleep."

"I flail in my sleep." Faith said. "Night terrors." She added sadly.

"So did Buffy. When we painted my room a couple years ago, I had to sleep in Buffy's bed. She threw me across the room. I slept on the floor the next night." Dawn said, smiling.

"She elbowed me in the eye." Faith said. "I stayed the night on Christmas Eve. The first and last night I slept with Buffy Summers."

"She told me about that." The girl snickered. "Can I ask you an honest question?"

"Sure."

"Did you and Buffy ever…?" Dawn let the question hang.

"Did we ever what?"

"You know."

"Have sex?" Faith asked.

"Yes, Faith. Did you and my sister ever have sex?" Dawn asked, exasperated.

Faith simply shrugged, continuing to eat. She said nothing.

"I asked Buffy after you two swapped bodies. She just looked at me all pissed, but she didn't answer me, either."

"That's between me and B." Faith said, giving the girl nothing to go on.

"You're as bad as she is." Dawn said, finishing her plate.

"You own a cell phone?" Faith asked her.

"No. Willow won't buy me one. Says it's too expensive." She sighed. "Money is actually really tight right now."

"Why?" Faith asked. "I mean…you're mom owned the house, right?"

"Yeah. But the property taxes are past due from April, and all the bills are actually pretty expensive." Dawn sighed. "It's hectic right now. Tara is giving some money to help out and Willow works part time at the Magic Box, but extra money is no go."

"You want a cell?" Faith asked.

"Well, yeah!" Dawn said. "I wouldn't want anything extravagant."

"Good, because I couldn't afford one if I wanted to. I've got a bit of scratch." She bit her lip. "Tell you what? Why don't you come to work for me?"

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"I'll bring you over a couple days a week. You do whatever I need you to do. You give me a few good hours and I'll put a bit of cash in your pocket and get you a cell phone. What do you say?"

"Doing what kind of stuff?"

"Sharpen stakes, do my dishes, vacuum my floors…as soon as I buy one, now that I think about it. Won't make you do my laundry, though. Nasty shit can get on there." Faith said. "Things like that. That way Willow and Tara can't give you any grief about where the money is coming from."

"Can you afford that?" Dawn asked.

"Given that the Watcher's Council is…" She thought a moment. "Gimme a sec." Faith said, getting up from the table.  
"What are you doing?" Dawn asked.

"Calling tweed." She said, picking up the phone and dialing.

"Hello?" Giles answered.

"Hey G. I have a question."  
"Of course, what did need?"

"It's not me. It's little D. The Watcher's Council is paying me, right?"

"Yes."

"Were they paying B?" She asked.

"Not as far as I know." He admitted.

"Well, given that B was on the roster for something like, six years, don't they owe her some kind of nest egg or something? For past services?"

"She's dead, Faith."

"Yeah, but she's got a little sister that could really use the money." Faith said. "I'll talk to them if you don't want to."

He chuckled. "I don't think Travers would even take your phone call, but you're welcome to try."

"Gimme his number." Faith said, grabbing a pen and paper. She jotted it down and nodded. "Got it. Thanks tweed. Wish me luck." She said, ending the call.

"You're gonna call the Watcher's council?" Dawn said. "They're not gonna listen to you."

"It's worth a shot." Faith said. "It's only fair. They at least owe B for the time she clocked." She sat down and dialed the number.

"Quentin Travers office." A perky female voice answered. "How may I direct your call?"

"Hello. I'm Faith Lehane. The current active slayer. I was hoping I could speak with him." She said.

"Give me a moment. I'll see if he's available." She was immediately placed on hold.

She listened the tedious elevator music and sighed. "I hate hold music."

After a few minutes of being on hold, the woman returned to the line. "Just one moment while I transfer you."

"Hello, Faith." A rather regal British voice said. "To what do I owe the…pleasure?"

"It's nice to finally speak to you." She offered. "Thank you for getting me out of prison. I owe you a lot. I just wanted you to know that I have every intention of making things right. And I am sorry for the trouble I caused."

"I'm glad you feel that way. I accept your apology. Is that what you called me for?"

"Not really. I mean it needed to be said, but…there's another reason I'm calling. You guys are paying me for my slaying. I understand I'm the first you've ever done this for and that's awesome as heck. You wouldn't believe how hard this gig is on your clothes."

"I suggest getting together with Rupert and seeing about getting some sort of body armor. We do offer him quite a bit of compensation to outfit you."

"That's not a bad idea, actually." Faith said. "Thanks for the insight."

"That's why we're here." He said, softly.

"I was hoping to play to your sense of compassion." Faith began. "Tweed tells me…"

"I'm sorry…Tweed?" He asked.

"I'm a nickname person. I rarely use full names." Faith said. "Giles. He tells me you really don't have a sense of compassion."

"Have you ever been in a position of authority, Miss Lehane? Specifically where people's lives depend on you making the right decision?"

"Does being the head trustee in the prison library count?" She asked, her voice light.

"I've heard horror stories of some prisons, so I can't honestly answer that. I suppose it is possible." He offered, lightheartedly. "But the fact is, Faith, as the director of an organization as large as ours, I am often not afforded the luxury of a sense of compassion. At the end of the day, I have to make the decisions. As the Americans say, the buck has to stop somewhere."

"I hear you. It's tough to have to make the hard decisions. I respect that you have the Spaulding's to do it"

"I appreciate that. Now what was it you wanted to ask me?"

"I'm not buckin' for a raise or anything. I was just…I didn't really think about how to ask this." She said.

"Just ask, Faith." He said, his voice a little sharp.

"Buffy fought the fight for a long damn time. Did a pretty good job of it, too. You can't argue that." She said.

"No, I suppose I can't. She lacked discipline and was a bit of a…"

"Bitch?" Faith asked.

"I was looking for a softer word, but yes. She could be. A trait common to American teenage girls, I'm finding out."

"I'm tryin'." Faith said, sheepishly.

"That you are." He admitted.

"I was wondering if the council would be willing to cough up some back pay for her. Just for the times she was active and on your roster. I understand for a year and change, she broke away from you guys and wasn't really communicating with you…"

"If we were to offer back compensation, who would we pay this money _to_, exactly?" Quentin asked.

"Buffy does have a little sister." Faith said. "And right now, she's got B's, sorry, Buffy's best friend and her girlfriend footing Dawn's bills. That just ain't right."

"Doesn't the girl have a father?" Quentin asked. "Pardon me for saying this, but…the girl would be better off with him, anyway."

Faith couldn't fault him for thinking that. Hell, she was pretty sure he was right. It wasn't on a Hellmouth for one thing. But Dawn was used to living in Sunnydale. She was a part of the life, now. And she would want to stay close to the people she knows. "You're right. She probably would. But that would take away from the life she's used to. She has people here that care for her and wanna do anything for her. I made a promise to Buffy that I'd look after her…"

"When did you make this promise to her? According to the records, Buffy had never visited you in prison."

"This is gonna sound really strange, but…the night Buffy died, I had a dream about her. She came to say good bye and tell me that she forgives me for what I did. She asked me if I'd look after Dawn. I promised I would."

"I see."

"I know it sounds crazy, but…I felt her there. Like she was in the room with me. We slayers could feel each other. Kind of like how we can feel vampires. It's weird. But it was her."

"You're talking about quite a bit of money, Faith. To be delivered to the hands of a fifteen year old girl."

"I know, I do. But if you put like…me or Giles in charge of it, we can make sure it gets used wisely. She deserves it, Quentin. You know she does. She lost her mother and her sister all within the past year. We're talking a hair over a hundred grand. That's not all that much, truthfully. Not in today's economy."

"It's actually one hundred and two thousand five hundred dollars." He offered. He was quiet for a moment. "I suppose it would only be fair. I will contact Rupert and let him know that an account will be set up in Dawn Summers' name and that he will be in charge of its distribution."

Faith grinned widely. "Thank you, Quentin."

"Don't mention it." He said. "Ever. I have a reputation to maintain."

Faith chuckled. "Not a word. Have a good day. And thanks again."

"My pleasure. Have a good evening, Faith." He ended the call.

Faith put the phone down and looked to Dawn. "The council is setting you up an account that's gonna have all of Buffy's back pay in it. One hundred and two thousand, five hundred dollars all told. Giles is gonna be in charge of it."

The teenage girl sat there a moment, before leaping forward and hugging Faith. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou." She said, quickly.

"Hey, don't mention it, squirt. I just thought it was fair." She pushed Dawn to arm's reach. "At least you can get caught up on all your bills and shit. But we can still go out and get you a cell phone. You don't mind a pay as you go deal, do you?"

"No. Considering that I'm relegated to a can with a string, right now, I'll take what I can get."

Faith changed into a pair of jeans, but kept the same tank top and put on her Dock Martens. She made her way to the car and looked over at Dawn. "You're fifteen, right?"

"Just turned, why?"

"Anyone started teaching you to drive, yet?" Faith asked her as they climbed into the car.

"No." Dawn said. "I'm surprised they're not buying me feetie pajamas and asking if I want a bedtime store or my 'binky'."

"It's not that bad." Faith said. "When you're the youngest, it always feels like you get treated like a baby."

"You were an only child, weren't you?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah. Had a couple of friends in Southie that were like that. Had older siblings and always felt like they treated like they were two."

"That's the way they treat me." Dawn said, crossing her arms. "I can't go anywhere without an hour long interrogation. I can't just go and hang out if I want…they all think they can tell me what to do."

"They're just trying to look out for you, kiddo. It's not to bust your balls. They worry. It's some sort of unwritten rule or something. Authority figures _have_ to be a pain in the ass. I think they get docked pay or something when they're not."

Dawn giggled. "That's funny. I know they're just trying to help, but…they could back off a little. Mom died of a brain aneurysm and Buffy died fighting a hell goddess. I don't have a brain tumor and I'm not a superhuman killing machine that fights monsters."

"That last one is why they worry, squirt." Faith offered. "Me and B, we have the slayer going on and, well look at it. I was put in a coma for ten months and B died…twice." She sighed. "I've had my head broke quite a few times since being called as a slayer. We've got an edge that you don't have. And let's be honest, when the sun goes down, this isn't exactly the safest town in the world."

Dawn wanted to argue, but she couldn't. "I just don't like getting treated like a child."

"Hate to break it to ya, pipsqueak, but you're always gonna be a child. You could be forty and everyone older than you is gonna treat you like you're six. It's the way of the world." Faith looked at her. "Sadly, I'm actually only four years older than you. Buffy was two years older than me."

"Really? You're only nineteen?"

"Will be in December." Faith offered. "You could go a little easier on the girls, D."

"What?"

"Well…I've gotta say this, the attitude you have now is one of the things about B that really pissed me off. She was always takin' the people around her for granted. Her mom, G, Xan and Red. She took all of them for granted. She had people to help her, to stand with her when shit got bad." She shook her head. "I didn't have that. Even when I first got here. I…didn't fit in with them. I was a bit of a loner, but…I would have given anything to have the kind of life she had. To have people to give a shit, there wasn't anything I wouldn't have done for that. So right now, yeah, it seems that you're getting smothered and babied, but believe me, kid. It beats the hell out of the alternative."

"I guess." Dawn said. She saw what Faith was getting at, she really did. She remembered when Faith first came to dinner. She thought the girl was so cool. She was wearing leather pants, was showing enough cleavage to make a pornstar blush and she talked up a storm with Dawn. When Buffy and her mom left the room, her and Faith picked through the food on the table and flung pieces of broccoli at each other. Dawn giggled.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm just remembering the first night you came home with Buffy. Her and mom went into the kitchen and we had a broccoli fight. I landed a piece covered in ranch between your boobs."

Faith laughed. "I remember that. That was fun."

"You always treated me good. Even when you went all evil, you were never really mean to me." Dawn said. "Why did you hit my mom?"

Faith sighed. Little moments like this grated on her. She wanted nothing more than to forget the terrible things she'd done, but she couldn't. As she'd said to Giles, they were a part of her, a part of her history. "When I first woke up, I was angry. At everyone, at everything. When I was asleep, I kept dreaming about the Mayor. He was so good to me. You have to understand, D he was the _only_ person since Diana that seemed to really give a damn. Whether he really did or not, I couldn't tell you, but…when you're aching for someone to care, to show just a little compassion, you latch onto whatever you get. You stop caring about the endgame." She sighed. "And Buffy and pals took him away from me." She cast a quick glance at Dawn. "Make no mistake I do understand why they had to. I might not have then, but I do now." She pulled into the parking lot of the Wal Mart and sat there. "After dreaming about him, I woke up…and I was back to being alone, scared and pissed off. I blamed Buffy for that. I wanted to get even with her and I…I went after your mom to draw her out. I shouldn't have, it was a terrible thing to do." She chuckled. "Christ, B kicked my ass then."

"Well, in your defense you were just coming in off of a ten month benching." Dawn said. "Every time you two fought, it was pretty much even. And she had a lot more experience than you did."

"Better natural athleticism, too." Faith said. "You're sister was the best." She looked at the girl. "I'm sorry, D."

Dawn looked at her and broke down in tears, sobbing heavily. "Why?" She cried. "Why'd she have to die?"

Faith held her as she wept. "I don't know, D. I wish I did. I wish it could have been me instead of her. I would have taken her place if I could have."

"Everyone says that." Dawn said.

Faith pushed her to arms length. "Dawn, look at me." She said, sternly. "Look at my eyes."

Dawn lifted her head.

"I would have made that leap if it would have saved your life and that of your sister. I mean it. All the shit I've done, all the bad choices I've made…my life wasn't worth as much to world as Buffy's is. I'm a piss poor replacement. If you still had B then things would be a lot better. I can't change any of that, but god damn do I wish I could. I'm not your big sister. I'm not your mother. But right now…you're all I've got. You're the only purpose I have now. Because your sister asked me to look after you."

"You really mean that, don't you?" Dawn asked, wiping her eyes.

"Damn right I do. I'm not the best at anything. I was only ever good at two things. One of those was slaying. And B did it better."

"Not really." Dawn said. "She died. Twice."

Faith chuckled. "I suppose I can't argue with that. But she was so good that she came back from the first one."  
"Thanks to Xander." Dawn said. "He gave her CPR."

"I heard about that." She said. "Alright. Enough of this crying bullshit. Time for some retail therapy."

"Now you're talking." Dawn offered, climbing out of the car.

A couple hours later, Faith was lucky to have a thousand dollars to her name. But Dawn had a really nice Galaxy S4 Smartphone – Faith splurged a little for the teen – and an inexpensive laptop. The slayer also picked one up for herself, given that her condo had Wi-Fi. The pair went out to lunch. Faith took Dawn to the waterfront and a large open parking lot beside a massive warehouse.

"Alright." Faith said, from the passenger seat. "This is a four speed transmission. Left to right on the floor, can you tell me what the pedals are?"

"Clutch, break, gas." Dawn said.

"Good deal. Now, this has a monster under the hood. Which means it's gonna have serious power. It'll get up to speed really fast, so take it easy, okay?"

Dawn nodded. "Alright."

Faith went through the steps, explaining how to drive her beast. To Dawn's credit, she did rather well. Faith never let her get out of first gear, but Dawn was okay with that. She spent a few hours, letting the teen drive around the lot, taking it easy.

It was after six in the evening when Faith dropped Dawn off at home. "Remember if you need to get away for a little bit, gimme a call. I'll come and grab you."

"Thanks, Faith. I really do appreciate it." She hugged the girl and climbed out of the car, heading inside.

"Later, D." Faith said, before taking off, leaving a pair of long black stripes down the street.

Dawn watched her leave and turned to go into the house. As soon as she walked in Willow was right there glaring at her. "Where were you?"

"I went to Faiths." Dawn said. "I just wanted…"

"I don't want you going over there." Willow snapped. "She's dangerous."

"Okay, first. You don't get to tell me where I can and can't go. Second, Faith is only dangerous if you don't have a pulse or have, I don't know…horns or scales or something. I have a pulse and I'm decidedly horn and scale free, so she really isn't dangerous to me." Dawn said back.

"Look, we're responsible for you…" Willow began.

"Willow, stop!" Dawn shouted. "Just stop it! Okay, I'm not a child. I can take care of myself. I don't need a damn babysitter. I'm the same age as you guys were when you started fighting monsters, and no one treated you like you were babies."

Tara stepped up beside Willow. "We just w-worry about you, Dawn. That's all. You have to understand, Buffy's death has been hard on all of us, not just you. I mean she was your sister and that had to cut the deepest, but…we're just trying to keep your best interests at heart."

"How?" Dawn asked. "By not letting me go anywhere? By not letting me have any friends?"

"We don't mind you having friends. We just don't want you hanging around psychotic murderers." Willow said, angrily. "Faith was in jail for murder, Dawn. She's a bad person."

"I find it kind of funny that you're the only one that thinks so." Dawn said, pushing past her to go upstairs. "I don't need a mother, Willow."

The redhead watched her go and sighed. "No. You need your older sister is who you need."

"Buffy's dead, Willow. We have to accept that. The Buffybot isn't…"

"I'm not talking about the Buffybot." Willow said, glaring up the stairs.

"There's nothing we can do." Tara said. "Buffy's gone."

The redhead stared into her eyes a moment, then turned and went into the kitchen. Tara shook her head and climbed the stairs. She needed to talk to Dawn.

Willow picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Hello." A perky female voice answered.

"Anya? This is Willow."

"Hi Willow. What can I do for you?"

"There's something I need to talk to you about. You can't tell Xander. At least, not yet."

"Okay." The girl said, simply. She had no problem keeping a secret if she had to. That was the main reason Willow was broaching this to the ex-demon first.

"Do you know what the Urn of Osiris is?" The redhead asked, smiling.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note: **Okay. As you read this chapter, you'll notice that some of the dialogue is taken directly from the show. This is intentional as some of the bits were just funny.

I've also made a couple of changes to how certain characters perceive things. The primary of these, is Tara. Through the entire show, she's been somewhat...while not _anti-magic_ per se, she has been very cautious with it. Yes, in this season, it got a little ridiculous, but that's a different issue that I will tackle as it comes up.

The first thing readers will notice is the shift in how Tara feels about the resurrection spell that Willow intends to do. To me, it was **_OBVIOUS_ **Buffy wasn't in hell. How her friends could even think that is way beyond me. Even if she was... even if leaping into that portal somehow sent her soul to hell, THE POWERS THAT BE told her flat out, that death was her gift. Let me repeat that, HER GIFT. The powers DO NOT like their plans thwarted. It is my understanding that they had every intention of Buffy going to heaven. If she was sent to hell for some strange reason, the would have simply plucked her ass out and dropped her in heaven. No muss, no fuss.

Willow and Xander would be blinded by grief and wouldn't have accepted that. They'd want her back so badly that they were willing to do almost anything. I like to portray Tara, however, as a voice of reason (as do a lot of people in fanfic). And as such, she wouldn't want the spell done. She would understand that Buffy, having done all she had, would be GUARANTEED a place in heaven, no matter where her soul was sent initially.

In the show, Tara was all for it, but that just...didn't seem right for her, somehow. As much fear as she seems to have of powerful magic, I just couldn't see her being on board with this. Now, keep in mind this is how_ I_ like Tara portrayed. Truthfully, Joss Whedon made her so incredibly bland in the show (in my humble opinion) that we never really get to see what she was truly like.

So there you have it. Someone once told me that you have to write for yourself first. In this chapter, I think I did a little of that. I hope you guys like it.

**Chapter 6**

Tara stopped on the stairs as she heard Willow dial the phone. She knelt and listened as the girl began speaking.

"Do you know what the Urn of Osiris is?" She heard Willow ask.

Her eyes grew a hundred times. "Willow, no." She said, softly, turning and running down the stairs. She trotted into the kitchen and reached for the phone. "NO!" She shouted.

Willow was shocked as the normally shy girl lunged at her, trying desperately to pry the phone from her hands. "Tara…" Willow snapped, pulling it back out of reflex. "Stop it!"

"No, Willow." Tara growled. She was a farm raised girl that was far more used to physical labor than the redhead and was thus a bit stronger. She managed to pull the phone away from her girlfriend and stagger back against the refrigerator, clutching it to her chest and breathing heavily. She lifted it up to her ear. "H-Hello?"

"Tara?" Anya asked.

"What was Willow asking you to do?" The wiccan asked.

"Dammit, Tara. Give me back the phone." Willow moved toward her.

Tara put her hand up and Willow was forced back a step. "Stay over there." She squeaked. "Tell me, Anya."

"She didn't say I couldn't tell you. She was asking about the Urn of Osiris. She asked if I knew where to get one."

"Well, forget it. Don't look for it. I know what it's used for and we're not doing that." Tara said.

"Oh. Okay." Anya said. "Have nice day." She ended the call.

Tara stood, staring at her girlfriend and the hurt angry expression in her eyes.

"I can't believe you." Willow said. "We have a chance to bring her back and you won't even let me try."

"Because it's wrong, Willow. I know what spell you're going to use. I wanted to do the same thing for my mother. But you can't."

"Yes, I can. I'm strong enough…"

"It's not about you being strong. It's about what's right."

"What if Buffy was pulled into a hell dimension? Did you ever think of that?" Willow asked, moving forward.

"Y-yes." Tara said. Tears filled her eyes. "Dammit Willow, yes I did think of that. And I know the answer, but you won't see it. You never see it. You let your emotions control everything you do. Everything you think and everything you hear." She was crying now. "You won't listen to reason."

Willow wanted to scream, to shout, to rage…but the sight of her love crying cut through all of that. "How do you know?" She asked, keeping her voice as calm as possible.

"B-Buffy's body." Tara said, her voice barely a whisper. She was still clutching the phone to her chest like a lifeline.

Willow stepped closer and rested a hand on Tara's shoulder. The meek sandy haired girl flinched away from her. Willow had to swallow past the lump forming in her throat and took a step back. "What are you saying?"

"Wh-when Angel was killed by Buffy he was t-t-t-taken to a h-hell dimension, right?"

Willow nodded. Buffy had said as much to her when she returned from Los Angeles. "And w-was there a body left, when he was taken?" Tara asked.

"No. He was just gone."

"Th-that's how you know Buffy is simply dead." Tara offered softly. "When she was… lying there, she was smiling." Tara let out a sharp hiccupy sob. "She isn't in hell, Willow. This is Buffy we're talking about. There is no way, after everything she's done, that she could be in anyplace but heaven. She deserves peace, Willow." Tara stared into the girls' eyes. "You know I'm right."

Willow kept her eyes on those of her girlfriend. Tears rimmed her own. "It's just…" She couldn't help it. She broke down into strangled sobs. "I miss her, Tara. I miss my best friend." She sank to the floor. Tara dropped the phone and held her as she wept. "She shouldn't have died. It's not fair. It's not right."

Tara had to agree with the redhead. It wasn't at all fair. Buffy was barely twenty years old. She had a long life ahead of her. She was taken far too early. "I know." Tara said, holding the girl tightly. "But we have to let her go. She's done her part. She fought for a long time and has gone through so much. We should be happy that she's finally getting the peace she deserves. She's together with Joyce again."

Willow bawled as she nestled her face against Tara's chest. "I just wanted her back. I wanted everything like it was. The spell…"

"Magic can't fix everything, Willow. I…I know I always tell you to use your magic more sparingly. It's only because I worry. It's dangerous. The more you use it, the more you want to." She likewise sobbed. "And the more you use it, the more you start believing that it can solve everything." She pushed Willow to arms length. "It can't fix this."

"But what if there's a chance…?"

"There is. A very real chance. But we both know that Buffy died nobly and is in heaven, watching us. You know that. Do you really wanna take that away from her, just so you can see her again? So Dawn can have a sister again? After all of that, what kind of hell would this world be to her?" Tara asked. "What kind of friends would we be if we ripped her out of a place of love and peace and dropped her back into the Hellmouth?"

Willow stared into Tara's eyes. "We'd be horrible friends." She admitted. "I just miss her so much."

"I know you do. I do, too. So does Dawnie." Tara bit her lip. "Strangely…so does Faith."

Willow furrowed her brow. "I don't…"

"Stop." The blonde said, her voice firm, but kind. "Please, Willow. Just stop. Faith killed. She took a man's life in cold blood. There's nothing anyone can do about that. But she also served her time. She paid the price for what she did. She's square with the law again. She's here, now and trying to help. She's not asking you to be the best of friends. She is genuinely sorry for what she did. She just wants to make up for the terrible things she's done."

When last they spoke, deep down, Willow saw that Faith had changed. She wasn't so naïve that she couldn't see the regret that the slayer felt for what she had done. But Willow wanted Faith to pay for her mistakes. She didn't really know how or why, but she did want to. And thus, she was loathe to forgive the girl. "I just…I don't wanna forgive her."

"I know you don't. She hurt you. She hurt a lot of people. But she was right. We've all hurt people with the things we've done. Even me."

"But you had a reason." Willow said. "You were scared and…"

"And Faith wasn't?" Tara asked. "I had a reason for the spell I did, but Faith had reasons for what she did, too. The only difference Willow, is that you agree with my reasons, but don't agree with hers." She brushed the girl's red hair from her eyes. "Why don't you just talk with her? Get to know her as a person. Maybe you might find something in common."

Willow had to admit, she never really did get to know Faith all that well. When she closed her eyes, she could still feel the cold steel of the knife pressed against her throat. But that was years ago. A lot has changed since then. She sighed and slowly nodded her head. "Maybe… we can invite her over for dinner, just me you and her. I don't feel comfortable with having her in the house alone with us and Dawnie. We can have her stay at Janice's house or something."

"Tomorrow night." Tara said. "I'll make your favorite." She offered smiling.

"Vegetarian Lasagna?" Willow asked. "With…"

"Yes, I'll make macaroni salad with bacon bits." Tara said.

"Okay." Willow said. "I'll talk to her." She hugged her girl. "I love you."

"I love you, too." The wiccan said back. "Why don't you make the phone call and invite her? It would go a long way to making her feel better."

"Not exactly sure if I wanna make her feel better." Willow said. At Tara's disappointed face, she shrugged. "Well, I'm not. Just being honest."

"I suppose that's true." Tara said, sighing.

"But I'll call her and invite her. Word of warning, slayers eat _a lot_." Willow said.

"You call her and I'll go talk to Dawn." The blonde stood and moved to go upstairs.

Willow, from her spot on the floor, pulled the phone over and dialed Faith's number.

"Hello?" The slayer answered. When Willow didn't say anything, Faith repeated herself. "Hello?"

"Hey, Faith." She said, quietly.

"Who is this?"

"It's Willow." The redhead said, softly.

"Red? Is everything okay? You sound like you've been crying." Faith paused for a beat. "Oh, shit. Did something happen over there? You need me to come over?"

"What? No. Nothing…everything's fine." Willow was surprised at the girl's reaction.

"It just…well, shit. You don't cry, Red. Not unless you got a damn good reason. Even when I was holding you at knife point, you didn't cry. So I figured somethin' was up. I promised B I'd take care of you all." Faith said. "I aim to keep my word."

"What?" Willow asked. "When did you talk to Buffy?"

"Don't worry about it, Red. What did you call me about?"

"No, wait. I wanna know what you mean. When did you talk to Buffy? Is it when she was in LA? Did you guys make up or something?"

"Not really. She said I belonged in jail, so I turned myself in. But, the night she died, we shared a slayer dream together. We'd only done that a couple of times. It was bizarre." Faith drew a deep breath. "I guess…the Powers that Be gave her a chance to say good bye before she left. She asked me to take care of Dawn and all of you guys. To look out for you. She said that everyone made mistakes and that she forgave me. She wanted me to do right this time. I'm trying to, Red. I really am. I know you'll never like me, but at least let me do what I promised B I'd do. That's all I'm asking. Hate me all you want, but…don't make it harder, please." Faith was pleading now.

"Tara wanted me to invite you over for dinner tomorrow night." Willow said simply. "She's making vegetarian lasagna. It's one of her specialties."

"Do _you_ want me there?" Faith asked, point blank. "I don't wanna make you uncomfortable."

Willow sighed heavily. "I…never really got a chance to know you, Faith. You were in town, but you were always kind of a loner. So we never really got a chance to talk."

"And you want to?" Faith asked her.

"I feel I should at least know where you're coming from. I've been told a few things about you and…and I said some things I shouldn't have. I know I said that you had a lot more than some people, but maybe I was wrong. I guess I should find out before I mouth off again."

"I promise I'll be honest, Red." Faith offered. "Should I bring anything?"

"Whatever you'd like. Tara also makes a good macaroni salad with little pieces of bacon in it. It's really tasty."

Faith smiled. "Every now and again, I'd spend a weekend with my aunt in north Mass. She made hers the same way. Tara put shredded cheese in hers?"

Willow pursed her lips. "No, but that actually sounds really good."

"It's pretty awesome." Faith said. "I'll think of something. Thanks for the invite, Red. I know it's pretty big step for you."

"I'll see you tomorrow." Willow said, ending the call. She sat the on the floor and leaned back against the counter. Slowly a content smile eased across her face. She closed her eyes and relaxed a moment.

Thus she was startled when the Boze sound system powered on. "…now nothin' can take you away from me, we've been down that road before, but that's over now, you keep me comin' back for more. And baby, you're all that I want, when you're lyin' here in my arms, I'm findin' it hard to believe…we're in heaven." As suddenly as the radio came on, it powered back off.

Willow raised her eyebrows. "Buffy?" She asked, quietly to the room.

Faith leaned back on her sofa and smiled. "Wasn't expecting that." She said, happily. She looked at her watch and decided to get a good patrol in for the night. She called Giles, letting him know she was heading out.

"Oh, there was something I was thinking about." Faith said. "I talked with Quentin and he was telling me…"

"You actually spoke with Quentin Travers?" Giles asked.

"He was actually a decent dude. He suggested getting some body armor. Something to keep me from getting tore up too badly while I'm out hunting. It was a good idea. He said that I should get together with you to get some."

"I have no idea how to get a hold of that kind of thing." Giles admitted.

"You can pick some up online. The good stuff runs about seven hundred bucks." Faith offered. "If you're willing to throw down, I can get it ordered."

"I suppose that would be a wise purchase." He looked around his apartment. "I suppose I should have Willow over to teach me how to use a bloody computer. I'm thinking there's a lot on this…internet that I'm missing."

"Oh, tweed. You have no idea." Faith said. "Just wanted to run that by you."

"It's a rather good idea, Faith. I'll see about allocating the funds for it. Come by after your patrol and we'll go over it."

"You got it. Later." She ended the call and got to her feet. She tucked a couple of stakes into her pockets and strapped the sword to her back under her jacket. She took her keys and headed out to her car. She rolled on, slowly watching around.

It didn't take her long. She pulled up and hopped out of her car. She trotted into the alley, watching as the pair of vampires terrorized the young girl. The girl was cute enough. She had short strawberry blonde hair, and was wearing a miniskirt with a low cut blouse on. Her heels must have been at least four inches. She was terrified as hell.

"Hey, boys. Is this a private party, or can anyone cut in?" She said as she sashayed toward them.

Both vamps looked to be relatively new. One of them broke off from the girl and moved toward Faith. "Oh, no. We can definitely use another hot date." He said smiling.

She moved up and ran a finger along his chest. "Oh, trust me, twinkie. The date don't get any hotter than me. Why, a roll in the hay with me, just might kill ya." She said smiling. "Too bad you won't get that far."

He looked at her strangely. "What's that supposed to mean?"

It was the last thing he said as she slammed the stake into his chest. "Amateur." She looked at his partner. "This is the part where you run."

He tossed the girl to the side. "No. This is the part where I kill you."

She snickered. "I'm dyin' to see that."

He came in fast. She sidestepped, driving her foot down onto the side of his knee. She then spun and caught him with a reverse crescent kick to the face, slamming him back onto the concrete. She pulled out the stake and methodically dusted him.

The girl cowered on the ground sobbing. "They-they disappeared. They turned into dust."

Faith nodded. "Yeah. Vampires do that." She said. She lifted the girl to her feet. "Where do you live?" Faith asked. "I'll give you a lift."

The girl nodded emphatically.

She helped the girl into her car and settled down beside her. "You okay?" Faith asked.

The girl wrapped her arms tightly around herself and gave a slight nod.

They moved along slowly and arrived momentarily at the girl's house. Faith escorted the girl to her door and nodded to her. "You shouldn't be out late at night alone." Faith said to her.

"M-my boyfriend was supposed to walk me home, but we had an argument at the club and he dumped me. He wouldn't walk with me and I didn't have enough for a cab."

"What an ass." Faith growled. "Well, just make sure that you stay inside after dark. Were you at the Bronze?"

She nodded.

"Look, if you have to walk home alone, don't. There's a group that likes to hang out there. A redhead chick, a pretty sandy blonde, a cute brunette and a kinda beefy dorky guy. They're always together. You know who I'm talking about?"

She nodded again.

"If you don't see me, but see one of them, ask 'em to walk you home. They're good people and know what it's like out here, okay?" Faith said.

She smiled. "Okay. And thank you." She said. She leaned forward and pecked Faith on the cheek and quickly moved inside the house.

Faith turned and stopped dead in her tracks. The long black trench coat and bleach blonde hair caught her full attention.

"Hey, Spike." She said simply.

He turned to look at her. "Who…oh, bloody hell." He said, moving back away from her. "What the devil do you want?"

She raised her hands. "Don't worry, blondie, I'm not gonna do anything to you." She moved over and leaned against her car.

"What are you doin' back in town?" He asked. "I thought you were sent to the big house?"

Faith nodded. "Was. I did a year and change. Watcher's got me out. Said I wasn't doin' any good in jail. If I wanted to make it right, I had to be out here doing something worthwhile."

"You right messed with everyone last time you were here. I was pissed at the scoobies then." He said. "I was gonna find you and aim you their way."

Faith sighed and looked at him. "We've um…met before." She said.

"I'd remember you, doll." He said, crossing his arms.

"I was wearing a different body at the time." Faith said, grinning.

He leaned against the car beside her. "Pity."

She shrugged. "You seemed OK with it."

He turned and looked at her moment. He then nodded his head, pursing his lips. "The body swap. With Buffy."

Faith chuckled. "She fill you in on that whole deal?"

He nodded again. "She told me it went down. Failed to mention who was driving her skin around, though."

Faith looked at him. "I may have said a few things…"

He looked into her eyes. "Like you could ride me at a gallop 'til my knees buckle… squeeze me 'til I pop like warm champagne. That's not the kind of thing a man forgets."

She shrugged. "Should've known it wasn't blondie behind the wheel. She'd never throw down like that."

"I realize that, now." He said, shaking his head. "That really messed with my head." He smiled wolfishly. "Don't get me wrong, slayer, that little conversation gave me spank fodder for weeks, but it still hurt in the end."

Faith bit her lower lip and nodded. "I know it did." She looked into his eyes. "I'm sorry about that. I wasn't exactly in my right mind."

"I can relate to that." He said. He pulled out a cigarette. He looked to her. "Care for a smoke?"

She shook her head. She did pull out a Zippo and light it, holding it for him.

"Thanks, bint." He took a long drag. "So does the intrepid band of misfits know you're back in town?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I've made my peace, for the most part. It's tough goin' but I'm makin' progress. G tells me you've been doing right by little D."

"When those monks made her, they did it right. Everyone was pulling for her when the big bad was after her. Even me." He looked at her. "Surprised you didn't bust out to help."

Faith frowned. "I wasn't told what was goin' down until I had a dream about B the night she died. She came to me and told me to take care of little D for her."

"She said she could share dreams with you. Woulda been nice havin' another slayer on board." He said, staring up at the sky.

"I'd have broken out, had I known." She sighed and stared at the ground. "Maybe that's why she didn't tell me. She wanted to keep me right where I was."

"Makes sense. Didn't really know where your head was at then." Spike admitted.

"Fair point." She said to him. "I'm tired of hurting people. That's why I'm apologizing to you. It was fucked up of me to say that shit to you."

"It'd go a long way to healin' if you acted on it." He said, wiggling his eyebrows.

She gave him a wry grin. "You never know." She said to him. "Not tonight. Got things on my mind."

He raised his hands in surrender. "Can't blame a bloke for tryin'."

She patted him on the shoulder. "You're actually alright, Spike." She looked at him. "Any luck getting that chip removed?" She asked.

"No." He said sadly. "Pretty much given that up."

She shook her head. "That sucks, bro. I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't mind that you can't feed on people, but it still sucks having a hunk of technology preventing you from being what you are."

He looked at her with whimsical eyes. "You know, no one has ever said that to me and actually meant it."

"Look, Spike. All I know from what I've seen is that since you've been chipped, aside from the rocky start, you've been out here fighting demons with the rest of us." She put a hand on his shoulder. "I don't give a shit what Buffy or any of her friends say. You're one of us."

He looked at her sincerely. His gaze was a mix of anger and joy. "You do know that if I didn't have this chip in my head I'd be feeding on you right now?"

She smiled. "Spike. If you didn't have that chip in your head, you'd have been dust a long time ago."

He nodded, taking a long drag off his smoke. "I suppose I can't argue with that."

"Look, I gotta go. I just wanted to let you know that I am sorry about what I did to you. It was fucked up and I shouldn't have said it." She said, leaning in and pecking him on the cheek.

"No worries, bint. I'm glad you thought enough of me to apologize. Means a lot." He said with a smile. "See ya 'round." He moved off down the street. He stopped and looked at her car. He nodded his approval and continued on.

Faith climbed back into her car and headed off. For hours, she drove around town, keeping an eye out. She pulled to a stop at the head of an alley. She had to do a double take. "B?" She said, not believing her eyes. She quickly climbed out of the car and ran down the alley.

Buffy ran after a vampire, tirelessly. Faith was several yards away and was closing slowly. The vampire turned and pushed a dumpster into the way. Buffy took two steps and jumped onto the trash bin and off of it to tackle the vampire to the ground.

Faith could hear the sounds of fighting behind the dumpster. She likewise leapt, landing on top to see the vampire breaking a bottle against Buffy's head. The glass cut her, but instead of blood, there was the glint of metal and sparks. She was dumbfounded.

Buffy ran tried to run after the vampire, but slammed into a stack of barrels…and kept walking into them. "Vampires…beware." She said, over and over again.

"Okay." Faith said, dropping down from the bin. "That's just creepy." She moved over and put her hand on the robotic slayer's shoulder.

Buffy instantly turned, gripped Faith's arm and flung her into the piles of debris. "Vampires beware." She said again.

Faith rolled out of the way as the huge barrels rained down, barely missing getting smashed. "Christ. Never let it be said you don't move like B." She said, moving to get up. She was nearly to her feet when the Buffybot's boot caught her in the stomach and propelled her into the air. She managed to get her feet under her and stagger a couple of steps. "Stop!" She shouted to the robot. "I'm not a damn vampire." Faith said. "I'm a friend, okay?"

The blonde robot stopped. "You are?" She cocked her head. "I don't know you."

"My name if Faith. I'm a slayer, just like you…just like the real…other…just like Buffy."

"I'm Buffy." The robot said. "Vampires, beware. For I am Buffy the Vampire Slayer." She said, lifting her arm into the air, triumphantly.

"Yeah, okay." Faith said. "You're um…damaged, see." She pointed to the robot's forehead.  
"I must get back to Willow in case of damage." The robot said, blankly.

"Look. I'll drive you, okay? I have a car over here." Faith said, gently taking Buffy's arm. "Come with me and I'll get you to Red…Willow."

The robot smiled brightly. "Okay." She followed Faith to her car and stood, staring at it. "I seem to be malfunctioning. I cannot…get in."

Faith sighed and helped her into the car. She then drove quietly to Buffy's old house. "Can you get out okay?"

The robot looked at her and nodded. "I think so." She said. She turned and opened the door, climbing out. She and Faith made their way to the front door. The Buffybot opened it quickly and saw Willow standing in the opening between the kitchen and the living room. "Willow!" She shouted walking toward her. As she moved through the living room, she knocked over a side table with a vase on it. Spike, who happened to be sitting on the sofa caught the vase.

Willow stepped into the room as the bot walked into a wall.

"What happened?" She asked as Faith came in behind the blonde android.

"Buffy 2.0 here got into a scrape while she was on patrol." Faith offered. "Some vamp brained her with something and took off. She was walking into shit. I let the vamp go in favor of getting her home in one piece."

Willow nodded, positioning the bot in front of her. "Thanks for bringing her back." She examined the gouge on the robots head.

"I think my feet are broken." Buffybot said, chipper.

"Eh, looks more like a short in the navigational system." The redhead lead the bot over to the sofa and sat her down. "Faith could you get me a flashlight? It's in the…"

"Drawer beside the stove?" She asked. "I remember." She moved into the kitchen.

Spike rose from the sofa, putting some distance between him and the bot. "Make sure to get her fixed, bint. There are enough things in Sunnydale that go bump in the night."

"I will." Willow offered. She pulled up the bot's shirt and peeled back the skin over her stomach, revealing various wires and circuitry. "Spike's right."

The Buffybot looked up at him smiling. Faith entered a moment later with the flashlight. "Thank you for thinking of my safety, Spike. You know I admire your brain almost as much as your washboard abs."

Spike suddenly gave a pained look. Faith raised an eyebrow. The vampire leaned in closely to the redhead. "I told you to make her stop doing that."

Willow sighed. "I did. I mean, I thought I got all that stuff out of the program." She pulled her laptop out and connected it to the front of the bot.

"Well, you've got her opened up, fix it." He snapped.

Willow typed away. "Sure. I mean, I have a lot of work here, but I'll see what I can do."

He moved to grab his coat. Buffybot watched him move with rapt interest. Faith knew that look. She'd worn it a few times herself.

"Faith can you shine the flashlight right here?" Willow asked, pointing to a part of the robot's anatomy.

The slayer moved over, watching as Spike quickly left the house. "What's his deal?"

Buffybot looked at Willow. "Did I say something wrong?"

Willow shook her head. "No, it's not your fault."

"I think Spike stopped liking me." Buffybot said, pensively.

"That's not true. He-he thinks you're swell."

"Then how come he never looks at me anymore? Even when he's talking to me." The bot actually seemed anxious.

"He's just grouchy, double B. Don't let him get to you. He's goin' through a lot. You…you remind him of someone that he lost." Faith explained. "He digs you. Just…not in the way he used to. You're friends now."

The Buffybot looked at Faith and nodded. "Okay." She said, looking back at Willow.

The redhead smiled at her and looked at Faith, nodding. A silent thank you for the save. "Now, just relax. I am gonna make you good as new." She said to the bot, working out the kinks. "I promise."

Faith watched the display and couldn't help but feel a tad uneasy. The bot looked just like Buffy. Down to the way the girl bit her lip when she was sure no one was looking. Even the eyes were the same. Whoever built the girl knew what they were doing. It made Faith's chest tight. "You think you can fix her?"

"Pretty sure." Willow said. "I had to damn near rebuild her when Glory got done with her."

"Willow? Can I ask you something?" Faith asked.

The redhead was quiet for a moment. "I suppose so."

"Were you and…were you in love with B?" She asked. "If you wanna tell me to fuck off, that's cool. I just…you seemed to be pretty protective and tended to get jealous as hell whenever anyone got close to her. Even Angel."

Willow stayed silent for a long time. Faith had almost decided to abandon the question altogether when Willow's soft voice gave her her answer. "I didn't know it back then." She looked up at the dark slayer. "I never said anything. I never felt I had the right. Oz and I…we were, we just weren't clicking anymore. I started really noticing Buffy. I thought about it, then Riley came along and then I met Tara. I love her, Faith. More than anything."

"Hey, I'm not doubting that, Red. I'm glad for ya. I was…I was a bitch to Tara when I was wearing Buffy's body. I apologized to her a couple days ago. She was cool with it. She said something about being able to read my aura." Faith shrugged. "Whatever the hell that means."

"She was actually the one who noticed that you were in the wrong body." Willow offered.

"Not surprised." Faith said. "You're a lucky girl, Red. Tara's a good catch. If I met someone like her back then, who knows how things could have turned out?"

"I know you're trying to do the right thing, this time around, Faith." She looked up the girl again. "I'm willing to give you a chance. Buffy would have wanted me to. Everyone else seems to think you're on a path to redemption. If you are, that's wonderful. I hope it works out, but if you're somehow trying to play us…"

"Red, I want you to think about something." Faith knelt beside her. "When I was doing all of that terrible shit…was I ever really that creative about it? I was, hell I still am the 'hit it until it goes away' type. I'm not the planner, Red. I'm not a schemer. I'm a doer. You all are seriously giving me credit that I didn't earn. The body swap thing was the Mayor's idea. He just left me the damn thing. Hell in the end, even he abandoned me." Faith chuckled. "He left me that device that caused me and B to switch bodies. He left a DVD with it. He told me that my days were numbered. That there wouldn't be a place for me in the world." She felt a tear slide down her cheek and wiped it away. "He gave up on me. Just like almost everyone else."

Willow looked at her. "We didn't give up on you, Faith. We just…"

"Yeah, Red, you did." Faith said. There was no anger in her voice, just cold acceptance. "You, B, Tweed, Xander…all of you gave up on me. You gave up on me before I ever got close. I can't really blame you though. I never really made it easy. It's not like you guys didn't have your own bullshit to deal with." She rose to her feet. "You got this?"

Willow just stared at her. "I guess."

"I'm gonna head to Tweeds and report in. I'll see you tomorrow." Faith said, moving to the door.

"Faith?" Willow said as the girl moved to leave.

"Yeah?"

The redhead sighed. "Thanks for coming back. I know it can't be any easier on you than it is on us." She paused a moment. "Just…please, whatever you do…don't hurt any of us. We couldn't take it. Not right now."

"That ain't why I'm here, Red. You can believe this or not, it is your choice, but I _am_ truly sorry for what I've done. I said this to little D earlier. If I could have taken B's place and been the one that jumped…if I could have died for her, I would have. I'm not the slayer she was. I'm not the person she was."

"If she came to you and asked you to look after all of us, then she saw something in you. Something good." Willow said. "Maybe, in time, I'll see it, too."

"I hope so, Red." Faith said, leaving the house.

"I like her." Buffybot said. "She's nice."

Willow looked at her and continued her work. "She wasn't always."

"Spike says that he was a really bad man before, too. But he's nice." She said. "And firm and sexy…"

Willow reached up and pressed a certain section of the robot's head. The bot slumped awkwardly. "I don't need to know that about Spike." She said, shaking her head. "I really have to get that out of your system."


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **Okay...this chapter is where things start to deviate a bit from your regularly scheduled program. I've made some decisions about a few things and might be painting certain people in a more favorable light, while some might not be so lucky. I'm trying to write everyone how they'd actually be and not how the lazy ass writers did it.

Case in Point: Faith was born and raised on the streets of Boston. You can't live like that, and be an inattentive douchebag and stay alive. (Yes, the thing with Post might argue with this, but at the time, Faith had no reason to doubt her. I personally blame Giles for not verifying her shit, but that's just me). Dawn _was_ there for all of the crap with Faith and (at least according to the fans) had a lot of interaction with her. More than anyone else, I would think. And not all twelve year old girls really know what they're doing and the effect it will have until it is too late.

There might be others, but these two are the most important. So there you have it. As always read and review, but most importantly, enjoy.

**Chapter 7**

Willow sat in the early hours of the morning going over the programming changes she'd made to the Buffybot's systems. "How do you feel?" She asked the robot.

"Fine, Willow. Thank you." The bot said, happily. "Was there something wrong with me? You put me to sleep last night."

"Oh, there was a few things that I had to fix. But it looks like you're better now." She unplugged the laptop and closed the panel on the front of the bot's stomach. "So…" Willow bit her lip and decided to go for it. "What do you think of Spike?"

Buffybot shrugged. "He's a vampire. A good one, but a vampire. As long as he doesn't eat my friends, I won't slay him."

Willow smiled and nodded. "Very good." She put the laptop in her bag. "I'm gonna shut you down for a while, but only to preserve power, okay?"

"I don't want to get tired." Buffybot said. She rose and turned, lifting the hair from the back of her neck. "Here you go."

Willow found the depression and switched the robot off. She sighed and shook her head. "I should have had her walk into the closet, first." She gripped the robot around the waist and began wrestling her stiff form toward the coat closet beside the door.

"Whoa, hey Wills. Let me help you with that." Xander said, coming up from the basement. He stepped over, wrapped his thick arms around the bot and hefted her from the ground. Willow immediately opened the door and pushed the coats out of the way. He then set the robot inside and turned her about. "There we go. All tucked in for the day."

Willow closed it and looked at him. "So how bad is it down there?"

"Well…I got the leak plugged temporarily. It should last a while, but there's no getting around it. Soon it's all gonna have to come out." He bit his lip.

She leaned against the sofa and sighed. "We can't afford that."

"I know. I'm sorry. I know you didn't wanna hear that. But there's only so much I can do."

"That's alright. Thanks for coming to check on it for us." Willow said, patting his arm. "If not for you, I don't think this house would still be standing."

He looked around and shook his head. "No, that's not true. This old house is pretty damn sturdy. It just needs some maintenance now and again." He smiled at his friend and hugged her. "That's what you have manly friends for." He looked at his watch. "I've gotta get to work. I'll see ya later." He left the house with his toolbox in hand.

Willow watched him go and sighed heavily. Dawn thundered down the stairs. "Xander just leave?" She asked.

"Yeah. He has to go to work." The redhead offered. "You want somethin' for breakfast?"

"I was gonna have a couple of pop tarts." Dawn said. "Not in the mood for much."

"Um…did Tara fill you on in what we planned to do tonight?" Willow asked, biting her lip as she followed the teen in to the kitchen.

"You're having Faith over for dinner. I already called Janice. Her mom said I could come over and spend the night. But I gotta bring popcorn. We're gonna watch scary movies. Can't have scary movies without popcorn."

"True." Willow said. "One year for Halloween, Xander wanted to have a scary movie night. He wanted to check out Phantasm and ended getting Fantasia." She poured a cup of hot water from the carafe and mixed up some hot chocolate.

"Ooh." Dawn said, giggling. "How terrifying."

"Hey, in the right context, hippos in tutu's can be plenty scary." Willow said, trying not to laugh. Dawn snorted as she put the pastries in the toaster. "Can I ask you an honest question?"

Dawn stood and stared at the toaster. "Come on…" She whined, poking. "I'm hungry." She looked at Willow. "You can ask me anything."

"What do you remember of Faith?"

"Well…" Dawn said. "The monks made sure she was actually pretty nice to me. When she first got to town, she was just so…street, ya know? She had this badass quality. I always remember thinking that she would be able to kick Buffy's butt. At the time, I thought Buffy needed it, you know? But she kinda treated me like the kid sister she always wanted. She never treated me like I was a burden." She looked at the redhead. "Not like you guys did."

Willow sighed. "I'm sorry, Dawn. I…I didn't really know how to deal with that kind of thing. I didn't know what it was like to have to suddenly have a little kid around."

"See, that's the thing. You guys saw me as a little kid." Dawn turned and grabbed her pop tarts. "Ooh, hot." She said, bouncing them in her hands before dropping them on a saucer. "You guys were all, 'oh man, it's Buffy's little sister'." She looked at her. "I mean, yeah, I was only a tween at the time, but I still would have liked to feel like more than a big hassle." She took a bite. "Faith never treated me like that. When you guys were at the Bronze, Faith would always come and pick me up for shakes or something. Usually we'd just hang out, talkin' and stuff. She told me a lot about her life back in Boston. She told me a lot of funny stories about the things she did when she was traveling." She finished her first pastry and began eating her second one.

"So…you know what her life was like before she became a slayer?" Willow asked.

"Yup." Dawn said. "She made me promise not to say anything and I haven't. Why do you think I was so pissed off at _you_ guys when she went to the Mayor and not mad at her? Because I saw how you all treated her. Truthfully, I'm surprised you're even willing to be in the same room with her. Even now."

Willow crossed her arms. "Okay. I have to ask. And I'm gonna do my best to not interrupt you. How did we seem to treat her, in your opinion?"

Dawn sighed. "When she first got here, you guys really didn't seem to know what to make of her. The fact that she was a slayer was…I think it kind of creeped you all out. She was like, this constant reminder that Buffy died once. It was just weird. Then Faith came to dinner with us…she was just really cool. She got along with mom really well, I liked her. I mean, I guess she was getting along with you guys pretty well. But Buffy just came back into town after having to kill Angel and things were just…I don't know. She made the _Single White Female_ comparison." Dawn shrugged. "I mean, Faith was just…she was real. She didn't sugar coat anything. I mean, I know why mom liked her. She wanted Faith to be the slayer and wanted Buffy to quit so she could live a normal life. But Buffy just seemed to think Faith was trying to take her life away. That's probably when Faith really began to take a step back. She felt that maybe she couldn't really be friends with you guys because she would piss Buffy off."

"We didn't want her to feel that way." Willow said. "I don't think Buffy did, either."

"Maybe, I don't know. I just know what Faith told me and what Buffy was saying. And then the whole Taquitos thing…"

"Taquitos?" Willow asked. "What are you…you mean Kakistos?"

"Yeah, that one. When you guys found out that she had him on her tail, you guys all kinda got really mad."

"Well, he was actually a pretty nasty vampire from what Buffy said. We should have been told."

"Yeah, you should have. But did any of you stop to think about how Faith felt? She was who he was hunting. She came for help. Besides, telling a group of people you just met that there's an ancient powerful vampire gunnin' for you isn't exactly the best way to make friends. She'd been screwed over so much that she really didn't know if she could count on you guys for help." Dawn got herself a glass of orange juice. "From then on, you guys just called her when you needed her. You never really invited her to do anything. Not even Buffy. All they did together was patrol." Dawn chuckled. "You guys even left her alone on her birthday while you were out at the Bronze. I borrowed some money from mom to buy a little cake and that watch she's wearing now for her. You guys never even thought to ask her what her birthday even was." Dawn finished her juice. "It's December 14th, in case you were wondering." She put the cup in the sink and ran water in it. "What I saw was you guys leaving Faith in a ratty motel room in the worst part of town and not giving a damn about her beyond needing her help when trouble came along. Other than that, you didn't seem to care at all." Dawn looked at her. She could tell the redhead was mulling it all over. "That's how she saw it, too. She told me back then that, just once, she'd like to rate an invite to have a night out with you guys. I guess part of why she didn't come to you guys more, was my fault."

"Why would you say that?" Willow asked, puzzled.

Dawn sighed. She could feel tears rimming her eyes. "Because…because at the time I wanted someone that was just mine, you know. Buffy had you and Xander. I didn't have anybody." She began crying. "That's why I told Faith that you guys…you didn't like her. That she was weird and stuff."

Willow was shocked beyond belief. "That's why Faith…"

"That's why she never tried to hang around with you guys. That's why she was always kind of cold to all of you. Why she was such a loner." She looked at Willow, pleading. "By the time I realized what I was doing, it was too late. She was ready to leave town and Buffy went after her and I…I felt so bad, but no one knew what I'd done." She sank to the floor, sobbing. "I'm so sorry, Willow."

The redhead was…she wasn't sure what she was. She'd always thought Faith was just a loner because that was the way she was. Faith seemed kind of distant, but to know that Dawn had said that they didn't want her around was… "Dawn how could you?"

"You all treated me like I was this terrible burden. I was just Buffy's bratty little sister." She wiped her eyes roughly. "None of you wanted anything to do with me. Faith _liked_ me, Willow. She listened to me. She gave me advice when I asked for it. She didn't treat me like I was stupid." She rose to her feet and again wiped her eyes. "She was mine, dammit! All of you had someone but me!"

"Oh, Dawnie." Tara said, from the living room. She moved over and hugged the girl.

"It's not your fault, Tara. You weren't there." Dawn said, returning the embrace. She looked at Willow. "I'm sorry. I just…I wanted a friend so badly I was willing to do anything. Buffy was getting all the attention and all the praise. I wasn't getting diddly squat."

"It's alright, Dawn." Tara said to her. "Faith will understand, I'm sure."

Dawn nodded, but continued to cry. Tara continued to hold her, trying to calm her.

Willow just stared at the teen, angrier than she'd been in a very long time. It wasn't often when you learned that everything that you felt about a person was due in large part to someone else's lies.

Faith stood at her counter, peeling and slicing apples as Judas Priest's _Heading Out To the Highway_ blasted out of her shelf system. She danced along with the music, enjoying herself. She pulled the large glass baking dish she'd just purchased out of the plastic bag and set it aside. She threw the apple slices into a bowl with some vanilla and lemon juice. She tossed it about and moved it aside.

She layered the apples in the bottom of the pan and began working on the second mixture. She added her cinnamon, oatmeal and brown sugar, cutting cubed up butter as she did so. When she was satisfied, she nodded and scooped the mix out over the apples. She smiled and took the pan and wrapped it in cellophane.

She kept the bathroom door open and, while singing along with _Diamond Eyes _by Shinedown, enjoyed the feel of the hot water. She'd been out of prison for almost a week and she still reveled in the feel of it. Probably explained why she took two showers a day. She stepped out, dried herself and went about pulling out what she'd wear for the evening. She decided on a simple navy blue short sleeve button down, a pair of black slacks and her Dock Martens, polished and presentable. She sat down at the vanity in her bedroom and put on some soft red lipstick, a bit of eyeliner and a hint of dark eye shadow. She thought about a bit of blush, but decided against it.

She looked at her watch, noticing that it was just after five. Tara wanted her there at six. She nodded and went about making sure she had her wallet, keys and cellphone. She also packed her duffel with a few stakes, the cross necklace she'd purchased, a canteen filled with holy water – courtesy of the local church, who didn't even bat an eyelash when she came in to fill it. They were quite happy when she dropped a twenty dollar bill into the collection plate on her way out – and her long handled Celtic short sword, a gift from Giles.

She grabbed the apple crisp and left the apartment, locking up as she went. She made certain to turn her stereo down, but left it on. She decided to take the elevator as to not flop the pan about. She got the garage and laid her contribution to dinner on the passenger seat and climbed in behind the wheel. She stopped by a grocery store and picked up a gallon of vanilla ice cream and some whipped cream to go along with it. She also purchased a few two liter bottles of soda, making sure to get a variety.

She arrived at the house just before six o'clock. She juggled the apple crisp and the grocery bags before hitting the doorbell.

A moment later Tara answered, offering a warm smile as she did so. "Hey, Faith." She said, looking at the girl's armload. She immediately took the plastic bags and stepping aside to allow Faith inside. "What do you have there?" She asked, indicating the glass dish.

"Apple crisp." Faith said, nudging the door closed behind her. "I asked Red if I should bring anything and she wasn't really particular, so I decided I'd handle desert."

Tara smiled brightly. "I-I didn't know you could cook."

Faith followed her into the kitchen. "I spent some time in the kitchens on the inside. One of the girls there was really nice and showed me a lot. I also read a bunch of cookbooks in the library." She set the dish down.

"Well it looks tasty." Tara said. "Willow told me what you said about the macaroni salad your aunt used to make." She pulled the bowl out and set it on the counter. Faith looked at it as the girl pulled the plastic cling wrap off. She pulled a spoon from the drawer and took a scoop out. "I added the shredded cheddar like you asked for."

"You didn't have to do that, Tare." Faith said.

"F-figured you'd appreciate it." Tara said. "Hopefully a little t-taste of home."

"My home life sucked ass, Tara." Faith offered. She moved closer and smelled the mix, just to be sure. Her stomach growled in response.

Willow chose that moment to come into the kitchen. She caught full sight of Faith leaning forward and, with her long tongue, scoop the salad off the spoon and pull it into her mouth. The redhead's heart instantly skipped a beat. She could see that the display had the exact same effect on Tara. The blonde immediately blushed.

Faith stepped back, chewing and savoring the flavors. "You put a dash of lemon pepper and cayenne in there, didn't you?" She asked. She ran her tongue over her lips, catching an errant piece of celery. "It's delicious. My aunt's salad couldn't keep up with that if it tried."

Tara and Willow both looked at each other. They were both a tad flushed. If Faith noticed, she didn't give any outward sign. "Faith made us apple crisp."

Willow looked at the brunette slayer. "Hopefully you're better in the kitchen than Buffy. Fantastic slayer, but constantly loses the battle with food preparation."

"She makes a mean PB and J." Faith offered. "And I think the pop tarts were only slightly burnt."

Willow gave a small smile. "I'm glad you could make it." She moved over and began setting the table.

"Where's little D?" Faith asked as she took the plates Willow handed her.

"Staying the night at a friend's house." Tara said. "Despite what she might have told you, we do allow her to have a life."

"Figured that. She's fifteen. To her, everything's the biggest deal in the world. You make her have Corn Flakes instead of Fruity Pebbles and you're starving her. Or if you make her go take out the trash a couple times a week, you two just sit on your butts being horrible task masters while she has to Cinderella the place." She grinned. "We were all that bad once."

Both girls actually giggled. "True." Tara said.

"My mom actually didn't make me do any chores. She said that I should be a Doctor or Scientist and be rich enough to hire a maid. She wouldn't even let me cook." Willow said.

"I had to cook a lot when I was growing up." Faith said. "A lot of macaroni and cheese and top ramen. You learn to be pretty creative when you're broke ass."

Tara leaned down to check the oven. "It was like that in my dorm. I would have to make do with really little. Not much you can do with a hot plate and an electric kettle."

Faith shook her head. "You need to watch Top Chef Masters, then." She began pulling out the bottles of soda she purchased. She set the Diet Coke, Classic Coke, Orange Crush, Sprite and Root Beer out on the table. "I got a variety because I don't know what you all like to drink." She looked at Willow. "I know B outright forbade you from having caffeine."

"I'm a Sprite and Orange Crush girl, so I'm covered. Thanks for the consideration." Willow said. She gave Faith a soft smile.

"What were you saying about Top Chef Masters?" Tara asked, pulling the lasagna out.

"Oh. There was an episode where the challenge was to cook good healthy meals for like, dirt cheap, and they had to do it on little more than what you had." Faith put the ice cream in the freezer. "Hubert Keller took that one pretty handily."

"He's a really good chef." Willow said. "My mom just idolized him. She tried to cook a lot of things out his books." She shook her head. "Never worked."

"I've read some of his stuff." Faith said. "It's usually pretty fancy."

"Faith, if you wanna bring the lasagna to the table, I'll get the salad." Tara said. "Willow, would you get some glasses and ice for the soda?"

Faith carried the warm pan over, setting it on the hot pad in the center of the table. She stepped back into the kitchen and turned the oven up to 375 before taking two of the glasses that Willow had filled with ice. She set them down and waited for the girls to move over. She held Willow's chair out for her and scooted it in she sat down. "Thanks." The redhead said.

Faith nodded and did the same for Tara. She then went to the oven and pulled the plastic wrap off of the crisp and put it in, setting the timer for forty five minutes.

She sat across from Willow with Tara to her right. "Thanks for the invite." She said, looking at the girls. "I know this was a big step for you." She looked directly at Willow. "It _is_ appreciated."

Willow sighed as she pulled a moderately sized serving of lasagna out. "Tara said it yesterday. When you get right down to it, we don't really know each other that well. I mean…we never really hung out when you were here back in high school. We'll just kinda gloss over the second time you were around town."

"No." Faith said, shaking her head. "We're not gonna just gloss over it. We're gonna talk about it. I'm gonna feel like shit about. You're gonna get pissed at me for it, and I'm gonna apologize for it." She took some of the lasagna and took a tentative bite. "I gotta be honest, I've never been a fan of vegetarian food."

Tara looked at her nervously. "Do you not like it?"

"Oh, no. I love this. How you got it to taste good is beyond me. Most of the time it tastes like shit." She took another huge bite. "It's the bomb."

The blonde smiled brightly. "I'm glad you like it." She began gingerly eating hers.

"You normally don't cook this much food, do you?" Faith asked, looking at the massive amount still in the pan.

"Actually, we do." Willow said. "Well, she does. I can boil eggs and potatoes, but that's about it."

"Don't let her fool you." Tara said, looking at her girlfriend. "She's not much with cooking, but she has wonderful knife skills and she's a whiz with just about every kind of salad under the sun. Not bad with baking, either."

"Well, Red here's been doin' the witch-fu for a while now. I remember her throwin' some pretty serious magic back in the day. I gotta figure baking ain't much different than workin' spells. Follow the recipe, set the timer and forget it." She thumbed back to the kitchen. "That's what I did for the crisp in there."

Willow blushed. "I've never really been that powerful."

"That's bullshit, Red. I remember when we were dealing with the Sisters of Jhe. You filled that cave with some serious fog. That saved our asses." Faith looked her in the eye. "I can feel how strong you've gotten."

Willow furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"You kinda give me a little tingle." Faith said. Willow frowned and Tara giggled. Faith sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. "That' didn't sound as bad in my head."

"I wasn't going to say anything." Tara offered. "It's just nice to know that you can actually blush."

"I am a girl." Faith said. "Girls blush."

Willow took another bite and pointed to Faith with her fork. "I've actually wanted to ask you this for a while and now that I have you here, I have to know. What does five by five mean?"

Faith chuckled. "It's radio lingo for a perfect signal. More specifically signal to noise ratio. Five by five is optimal." She shrugged. "I heard it once and it just kinda stuck."

"It means everything's copacetic." Tara offered.

"Pretty much." Faith said. "I thought you knew that, Red."

"Not much with the CB talk. I think I know what ten-four is, but beyond that…" She raised an eyebrow. "That means, like, copy or something, right?"

"Generally, yeah." Faith nodded. "When I was making my way from Boston, I actually rode with a chick that was long haul. She was actually pretty cool. Name was Francine, but she went by Frankie. Her handle…that's like your CB name, was Hot 'n Nasty."

Willow looked at her with a strange look. "Do I even wanna know?"

"Probably not. I spent two days with her. Met her at a truck stop in Albany. Killed a vampire that was trying to eat her. She thanked me with hot meal at the truck stop and a ride all the way to Springfield, Illinois. That was as far west as she was going. Overall she was pretty damn cool." She looked at the pair. "And yes we did. Several times. But she also taught me all the CB lingo. Kinda stuck with me."

"So your trip across the country wasn't all bad?" Tara asked.

"No. As a matter of fact, it was actually pretty damn fun, to be honest. There were some rough spots, but…it wasn't horrible. I was a fifteen year old girl out on my own, not a care in the world." She shrugged. "Coulda been worse."

"What did you do for money and…and food?" Willow asked.

"Whatever I had to." Faith said. "I did bang a couple of dudes for some cash, but not very often. And I stayed away from nasty types. One guy was a traveling salesman that was in Kansas City for a convention. I was hitchhiking and he picked me up. He was cute. A little chubby for my tastes, but he threw me a bill for a night with him. He was clean, smelled like cheap cologne, but at least he made the effort. Good with his tongue and hands, but…" She motioned to her crotch. "Not much goin' on downstairs." She took a bite. "Second guy was another truck driver. He gave me fifty bucks, bought me dinner the brown jacket I own."

"I'm sorry you had to do all that." Tara said, taking Faith's hand. "It's horrible to have to survive on your own like that."

Faith shrugged. "We do what we have to do to get by." She raised the eyebrows. "Oh, that reminds me. The Watcher's Council is gonna be giving little D something like a hundred grand."

"What?" Willow asked. "Wh-why?" Tara shot out, surprised.

Faith looked at Willow. "The Watcher's Council is giving Dawn a hair over a hundred thousand dollars." She looked at Tara. "It's back pay for all the time B worked for the council as a slayer. From when she was called, to the time she died. She ain't getting paid for the time she told them to take a hike, but…"

"That's a lot of money to just hand to a girl like Dawn. She won't know how to manage it." Willow said.

"Oh, don't worry about that." Faith said. "They're actually putting tweed in charge of it. He's gonna make sure all the bills get caught up and Dawn has a little spending cash. I did take the liberty of buying Dawn a cellphone, but it's a prepaid, so she can only use up what minutes are on it, then she has to buy more. So no huge bills or anything."

Willow and Tara looked at each other. "Who convinced them to do that?" Willow asked. "They never offered to pay her before."

"I called Travers and he said yes. I mean if they're paying me they should…"

"Wait a minute." Willow looked at Faith. "The Watcher's Council is paying you?"

"Yeah. Twenty five hundred a month after taxes." Faith said. "It ain't great, but it's better than I'd be getting if I worked some lame ass part time job. And let's be honest, I wouldn't be able to keep regular hours, anyway. Having to miss work because I got busted up by some vamp or demon wouldn't be conducive to keeping steady employment, you know."

Willow looked at her. "I impressed you actually managed to use 'conducive' a sentence and in the proper context."

"Just don't tell anyone. People find out I use big words, they'll accuse me of being a nerd." Faith said as she went back to her food.

"I'm a nerd." Willow said, frowning. "What's wrong with nerds, anyway?"

"Look how you got treated in high school and ask me that." Faith said.

"Yeah, but I'm in college now. Where the nerds rule." The redhead was smiling, happily. "People…they, they respect the nerd knowledge. They fear our brains and what we can do, for we will rule the world…or at least do all of the, you know research and and design the programs and data networks to make the ruling easier and more efficient."

Faith looked at her and couldn't help but giggle. "Can I be honest without you two like, getting pissed or, or turning me into a frog or something?"

Tara looked at her. "You can be honest with us, Faith. We want you to…to be comfortable."

Willow nodded. "Not being honest is what led to all of that bad stuff back then. I don't want a repeat of that." She shook her head. "Ever." She grinned. "Besides that, transfiguration magic like that is actually really difficult. I mean, A-Amy is still a rat. Has been for almost three years."

"Yeah, but she does have that wicked cool habitrail goin' on. If I were a rat, I'd be stoked."

"What did you wanna say?" Willow asked.

"Well, I'm not sure how you're gonna take this, Red. Not sure how blondie here's gonna take it either, but I'm all about being up front these days. You know that ramblin' thing you do?"

Willow blushed and slumped a little in her chair. "Sorry. I'm trying to curb it, but it just kinda comes out sometimes."

"I'm not gonna lie, it used to bother the shit out of me." Faith said. "Now?" She chuckled. "It's kind of adorable."

Willow and Tara both looked at her, shock written plainly across their faces.

"Just sayin'." Faith offered, loading up her plate with another helping of lasagna and more macaroni salad. "This is really good, Tara. You got it goin' on."

The blonde blushed. "Th-thank you."

Willow was still staring at Faith. "I'm…not real quick on the uptake with some things, so I wanna make sure of something."

Faith shrugged and nodded. "Go for it."

"Did you just hit on me?" Willow asked, point blank.

Faith snickered. "It's called flirting, Red. And yeah, I did." She didn't look at the girl. "I'm not tryin' to step on any toes or anything."

"It's okay, Faith." Tara said. "I'm not bothered by it. You're a n-naturally flirtatious person."

"Which reminds me…" Faith said. "Strangely. What ever happened to Oz? I mean last time I was joy ridin' in Buffy's skin you and Tara here were a thing."

"A few months before you came along some slutty werewolf girl came to town and made him go all wolf-crazy. He ended up ripping her throat and he left to get control of his wolf." Willow said, softly. "He did come back, though. A couple of months after you woke up." She looked directly at Tara and gave her a warm loving smile. "But my heart found where it belonged." The blonde returned her own.

Faith saw the look and couldn't help but feel jealous. What confused her the most was she wasn't sure exactly _who_ she was jealous of. Tara, for earning that kind of smile from the suddenly adorable red head, or Willow, for receiving the same from Tara. One thing she could say for sure. She definitely recognized love when she saw it.

She heard the timer go off on the oven and went in, pulling a pair of pot holders from the hook on the wall.

Tara and Willow were both pulled from their reverie. "W-we have to tell her, Willow. What Dawn told us."

The redhead sighed and nodded. "Yeah, we really do."

Faith came out a moment later. "That's gotta cool down before we can dive into it." She said, pulling her chair out. "Anyone need any more ice while I'm up?" She felt bad about interrupting a tender moment.

"You…need to s-sit down." Tara said. "Please."

"What did I say?" Faith asked, suddenly nervous.

"You? Nothing." Willow said. "It's just that…something came to light today and Tara and I feel it's kind of important to clear the air."

Faith furrowed her brow and sat down.

"Dawn shared something about the friendship you and she shared when you first came to Sunnydale." Tara began. "She said that when you two would hang out that she said that Willow, Buffy and Xander didn't like you."

Faith smiled wryly. "Yeah, I remember. Girl can't lie for shit. Don't get me wrong, she made it sound pretty convincing, but you don't survive long on the streets without learning how to read people. I got it for what it was."

Both Willow and Tara looked at her, surprised. "You knew she was lying?"

"Come on, guys. She was like twelve. I saw what she was doing, understood the reasoning behind it and let her play her game. It made her feel better to know that she had a friend all to herself. Makes sense if you think about it. Two misfits chillin' together." Faith shrugged. "Besides, I'm not a dumb as you all think I am. Granted, I make some pretty piss poor choices, but I'm not stupid." She finished up her lasagna and rose to her feet, taking the empty plates from the table. "Who wants apple crisp and ice cream?"

The girls just stared at her dumb founded.

"You guys need to be rebooted or something?" Faith asked. "Look, Red. I was a loner, because that's how I spent a majority of my life. I never had any friends and didn't really want any. I had a few people that I hung with, but I've never been a social butterfly. I like to dance and go to clubs and stuff, but I don't always do that whole get together thing. Now, I can honestly tell you that I probably would have turned you guys down flat for invites to popcorn and movie nights…" She sighed. "But it's still nice being asked." She then took the plates into the kitchen.

Willow bit her lip and rose from the table. When Tara moved to follow, Willow held her hand up to stop her, shaking her head. The girl moved into the kitchen to see Faith dishing up bowls of steaming hot apple crisp. "Faith?"

"Yeah, Red? You want ice cream on yours?"

"Yes, please." Willow said. "Tara does, too."

"Got whipped cream, too if you want some." The slayer said, not turning around.

"Faith, turn around, please."

She turned to regard the redhead. She was shocked when Willow's hand cracked into the side of her face. It didn't really hurt, just surprised her. Willow immediately began shaking her hand. "Ow, oh god, ow." She looked at Faith with a furrowed brow. "What are you made of concrete?"

Faith chuckled. "I've been hit harder by bigger, Red."

"Well, that _was_ for…ow, damn." She moved to the freezer and pulled an ice cube out. "This really hurts."

"Let me guess, that was for holding you at knifepoint?" Faith asked as she went back to dishing up the ice cream.

"Well, yeah." She frowned. "Ow. I was also gonna hug you and say sorry, but my hand hurts, now."

"Don't worry about it Red. We're square." She said. She ran a cloth under the cold water, rung it out and moved over to Willow. "Here." She said, taking the ice cube from her hand. "The ice is actually bad for you. This should help." She wrapped the cloth around the girl's petite hand. "I hurt ya, Red." Faith said, looking into the girl's eyes. "I know that. There ain't a day goes by I don't think about it and regret it. I can stand her and give you the whole if I had it to do over again speech all day long, but the fact is this." She stepped closer. "I fucked up. Plain and simple. The reasons, the circumstances, all of it doesn't amount to shit. I…" She tapped her chest. "Hurt you." She touched Willow's chest. "And I am, and always will be, sorry."

Willow stared into Faith's pale brown eyes and gave her a soft smile. "I forgive you, Faith." She pulled the girl in and hugged her. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it, Red." Faith said. She felt tears on her cheeks, but that was okay.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Faith stood in Giles' apartment and looked at the heavy black body armor. She smiled and looked up at him. "This is pretty nice. How'd you get it so fast?" She asked him.

"I took the liberty of calling Quentin and asking him what the operatives of the Watcher's council uses. He told me not to worry about it and sent that overnight for you." He reached out and ran his fingers along the fabric. "He said it was lightweight and shouldn't overheat you."

"I'm gonna go ahead and try it on." She said heading for his bathroom. She closed the door and kicked off her boots. She then peeled off her pants and her shirt, stepping into the black padded pants and zipping them up. She pulled on the black long sleeve shirt that had thick pads along the sides, front, back and arms. It was a tad stiffer than she was used to, but the protection it would provide would be a worthwhile trade off. She then strapped the Kevlar backed chest protection over it all. It was somewhat heavy, but she nodded. All in all it wasn't bad. She gathered her shirt and pants and walked out with her boots in hand. "So, how do I look?"

Giles looked her up and down and smiled. "Like you're about to storm an embassy in some Middle Eastern country with a handful of your equally clad colleagues." He pulled out a large box and offered it to her. "I…I took the liberty of purchasing these for you today. I figured you'd like them."

She sat down and opened the box, smiling. Inside were a pair of really nice combat boots. "Oh, man." She said, lifting one of them up. "These are Oakley S.I.'s." She looked at Giles. "These are like, a hundred bucks a pair." She put the box down and immediately began pulling them on.

"I only hope I got the right size." He said, sitting on the arm of his sofa.

She looked inside. "Yup. Size eights." She tugged the boot completely on and laced it up nice and tight. She stood and took a couple of lopsided steps. "These are badass, tweed." She moved over and hugged him. "Thanks."

He returned the embrace with a wide smile. "You're welcome, Faith."

She sat down and put on the other boot. "I think I'm gonna be taller in these." She loved the way they felt. They were a little heavier than her Doc Martens, but they were also of significantly sterner make.

"This was also sent with the body armor." Giles said, pulling out the elaborate assault vest.

She raised an eyebrow. "Jeez. They weren't screwin' around." She stood and took it. She turned it around and cocked her head. "That's handy."

"I added a little to it." He said. "I uh, I stitched a scabbard to the back and added a catch so you can carry a larger blade, should you need one. You have pockets for stakes, there." He pointed to three along each side. "A canteen holder for holy water and what have you."

Faith smiled and strapped it on. "Everything a girl needs for a night out in Sunnydale." She sifted through her duffel and began pulling things out, securing them to her body. She belted on the sheath and her knife, letting it hang along her leg. When everything was settled, she stepped back and looked at Giles. "So do I look dangerous enough?" She asked him.

"Rather, I would say." He went into his closet and pulled out a large garment bag. "This isn't a part of the Watcher's outfit. It's from me. Something that I thought you'd like and…a bit of a gift for choosing to do the right thing." He handed it her. "I am proud of you, Faith. It isn't easy to face the mistakes of the past and make a fresh start as you have. This is something for taking those first steps."

She grinned at him. "Really? The boots were…"

"The boots were paid for by the Watcher's Council. This is from me."

She unzipped the side of the bag and pulled it off, revealing a knee length leather trench coat. "Tweed I…" She was dumbfounded. "I don't know what to say." She looked at him. "These are really expensive."

"And you're worth every penny." He said to her. "I wasn't able to help you when you were first in Sunnydale. I should have been a better Watcher to you, Faith. I should have been a lot of things that I was not."

She took the coat off the hanger and put it on. It was comfortable and fit perfectly. "This is awesome."

"Now, I believe you are ready for whatever the night can throw at you." Giles said. "If you need any assistance out there, don't hesitate to call me. I'll come right out and help you."

She smiled at him. "I appreciate that, G. I'll go out and hit it first. If I need backup, I'll give a shout out." She said patting him on the shoulder. "Catch you later."

"Good luck. Be careful." He said to her.

"Will do." She returned before stepping out of the apartment and into the still night air. She made her way to her Plymouth and drove along the streets of Sunnydale, keeping her eyes out for anything untoward. She concentrated as she did so, stretching her senses.

Suddenly the night was filled with the rumble of multiple two-stroke and four stroke motorcycle engines. Faith pulled off the road and watched as the bikers roared past her. She could tell right away that they weren't human. Her heart sank. In her travels, she'd heard of these beasts.

The backwater roads and small towns of the Midwest talked about them in hushed whispers. Until now, she wasn't even sure they really existed. She kept her eyes ahead, watching as the beasts smashed and burned everything in their paths. "Christ."

She was so intent on what was happening in front of her, that she was caught completely off guard when a large meaty fist smashed through the driver's side window of her car and took a handful of her hair. She was dragged bodily from the car and thrown to the ground. She landed hard and came to a stop on her back. A large beast of a…whatever the hell he was, stood with his hideously scarred face looming over her. He reached down and lifted her to her feet. "You're a pretty little thing." He said. His fetid breath washed over her.

She scrunched her nose. "Damn, dude. Mouthwash isn't prescription." She calmly reached down and pulled her knife from her belt.

"What the hell are you wearing?" He asked, looking at her chest.

"It's called body armor, dumbass." Faith snapped. She rammed the blade into his stomach, causing him to drop her. She kept her hand on the knife and turned it, pushing it sideways, carving a massive gash across his abdomen.

Viscera slopped out onto the street as he staggered back, trying to keep his internal organs where they belonged. "What…the hell are you?" He asked.

"I'm a slayer, asshole. I'd say tell your friends, but you ain't gonna live that long." She spun kicked him across the jaw, dropping him to the ground. She lifted her eyes to see a pair of the demon bikers racing toward her. She shifted her knife to her left hand and pulled her sword with her right. "Let's dance."

They bore down on her quickly, revving their engines. One had a rusted machete in his hand. The other carried what looked like a fireaxe with electrical tape around the handle. She broke into a run at the monsters. As they drifted a little apart, she noticed that one had pulled ahead a couple of feet. She grinned. "Perfect." She said to herself. She jumped at the last moment, launching herself at the leading biker. He tried to draw his machete back, but she proved just a bit quicker. She landed with both feet on the gas tank of the dirt bike and rammed her sword down into the side of his neck and her knife into the crown of his thick head.

She pushed off of his motorcycle and side flipped in the air, twisting as she did so to land on the back of the second bike. She rammed her sword into his back and plunged her knife into the side of his neck, just behind his trachea. She then thrust her blade forward, tearing his throat out. She rolled backward off the back to land in a crouch as the bikes both veered this way and that before smashing into a parked car or utility pole.

She could see more bikers than she could count and sighed. "This is gonna be a long damn night." She thought a moment and groaned. "This is gonna hurt." She said, running to her car. She climbed in and fired it up. She shifted and took off toward the main host of bikers.

She closed the distance, weaving between the burning cars and staggering pedestrians. She gripped the wheel and bore down on a trailing rider. She sped up and pulled a little to the side, clipping his back wheel with the bumper of her car. His rear tire was pushed out wide and he immediately went down in a hail of sparks and debris. She dodged out of the way of the motorcycle, not wanted to screw up the undercarriage. She slid to a stop as she saw the demon trying to get up. She shifted into reverse and floored it. The beast had gotten to his knees when the huge Plymouth slammed into him, crushing him beneath its girth. She skidded to a stop and shifted back into first. She mashed the pedal and spun the tires as she took off, again thumping over the top of him. She kept her eyes on the rear view. He didn't try to get back up.

She played this game a few more times, taking the bikers out one after another. After the forth demon was ground under, they wised up. A large group of them dropped back, surrounding her. She groaned as they began pounding on her car with sledgehammers, machetes and axes. Her windows were the first casualties. Glass erupted around her and sliced into her face. "Alright, boys." She said, shifting into a higher gear. "Let's play follow the leader." She raced ahead, unwinding all four hundred and eighty horses.

She could see a whole mess of them following her. She floored it and kept ahead of them. She turned and began heading to the dock district. Plenty of open space and not a lot of people. The rear window shattered over her. She could feel glass biting into her back. She growled and gave it everything she had. In a straight line, she could outrun the ratty poorly maintained motorcycles easily, but with the cluttered streets and constant turns, they were keeping pace. She had to slow to avoid colliding with something. She drifted around a corner and smiled. The tide flats were dead ahead. She kept a watch behind her. The bikers were all close and staying that way.

She drove and again drifted around a turn to emerge on the frontage road that ran along the water front. It was almost fourteen miles of uninterrupted tarmac. She grinned widely. "Welcome to muscle car territory, boys." She shifted into fourth gear and floored it. The speedo shot up. She could see she was pulling away from them. She only hoped they would be as single minded as she thought they were.

Suddenly her phone rang. She pulled it out and looked at it. "Shit." She said, recognizing Dawn's number. "Yeah, little D? Kinda busy right now."

"There are demon bikers by my house." The girl said, terrified.

"Yeah, we've met." Faith said.

"You have to come and help us. Me, Tara and Willow are here alone."

"Fuck." The slayer snapped. "Alright. Sit tight. Go into the basement and bar the door. I'll get there as soon as I can."

"Should I call Giles?" Dawn asked.

"No! Whatever you do don't call Xander or Giles."

"Why? Maybe they can…"

"They can't help. But they'll think they can. These guys aren't fucking around. They'll cut down anyone they find. The best thing for all of you to do is to let me handle this. I'll come and get you, I promise. Just stay strong and stay put. I'll be there as soon as I can." She ended the call and tossed the phone onto the seat. "Come on, boys. Stay with me." She said. She saw a long sweeping corner and nodded. "Now or never." She kept the speed poured on and put some distance between her and them. When she could no longer see them, she counted to ten and skidded to a stop, spinning completely around. "Time for a big ass game of chicken."

She mashed her foot down on the gas, keeping her other foot on the brake. Her rear tires screamed as she smoked them off. She then let up the brake, shooting off so fast the front tires came off the ground about a foot. She ratcheted through the gears, doing her best to close the distance as much as possible. "I'm sorry about this, baby." She said to her car. She made sure her seatbelt was fastened tightly.

She could hear the bikes screaming toward her. She came around the corner doing better than a hundred and thirty miles an hour. At the last possible second, she jammed the brakes, turning the car into a sideways slide right into the path of the oncoming motorcycles. She let go of the steering wheel and wrapped her arms around her neck.

The impact was horrible. Of the ten bikes that followed her, eight plowed into the side of her Plymouth. The bikers were tossed about like ragdolls. Two managed to veer around her. The rest weren't so lucky.

The entire side of her car was hammered as demon after demon plowed into her at high speed. She climbed out as soon as the collisions stopped, sword in hand.

The two bikers that managed to dodge away, turned back, racing toward her. She grabbed a discarded machete and drew back, hurling it at one of the beasts. The blade hit him in the chest and threw him back off the bike. The last monster, a hulking beast of a specimen raced by, spinning a length of chain. She ducked below it, but barely. She could feel the wind on her head as it whipped past. As he raced past, she turned and waited, backing against the side of her car.

He came back around, his chain spinning in the air. He struck, lashing it toward her. She gripped the end of it and dropped to her knees. The chain snapped taught. The rusted metal cut into her hands, but she held it. The demon was wrenched from his bike to slam to the pavement.

Faith dropped the chain and ran toward him, her sword at the ready. As he tried to reclaim his feet, she swung, taking his head in one swift motion. She stood and took a moment to gain her breath. She then began the process of finishing off the demons that were still alive. It was grisly, but necessary work.

She then made her way to her car. It still ran, but the side that caught the impact of the demons was torn to shit. Both tires were flat and the front steering was bent all to hell. The tire was rotated inward and the fender was mashed against the rubber. "Well, you're not goin' anywhere." She managed, through sheer brute strength, to get the car onto the side of the road. So traffic could make it past.

She sat down against the car and breathed heavily. "Christ almighty." She closed her eyes and relaxed a moment. Then she suddenly remembered. "Shit. Dawn." She got up and looked around. She ran to a downed motorcycle and lifted it up. It was an old Honda cr500. She'd ridden one before and was fairly familiar with it. She dropped the stand and grabbed all of her gear from the car. She kicked the bike over and revved it. She turned and headed back into town.

There were still a host of demons racing this way and that. She slowed to a stop when she saw a large gathering of demons around a bonfire near the town square. "Where the hell are the cops when you need 'em?" She asked, looking about. The answer to her question lay in the burning hulk of a police cruiser. "Right." She said, sadly. "Ask a stupid question…" She stepped off the bike and moved toward them.

She crept closer, listening as one of the demons ranted and raved. "Say hello to your new home, boys." The demons all cheered and hollered. One of the demons took a mouthful of his alcohol and blew it at his torch, creating a huge gout of flame.

Faith smiled. "If they weren't so damned ugly, I could learn to like these guys." She said, softly. She had to admit, they knew how to party.

"This here is a momentous occasion, the beginning of a new era." The big demon went on.

Faith looked about and saw the Buffybot, her chest carved open and sparking standing with chains attached to her arms and legs. "Oh, shit." She said, sadly. "God dammit." She began counting the demons. "Twenty three of these sons of bitches." She started thinking of a way to save the bot. True it wasn't alive, but…she couldn't bring herself to just let the thing get destroyed.

"Now, no question, the open backroads and highways have been good to us. But we've got ourselves a juicy little burg here, just ripe for the picking. And I ain't in no hurry to leave it, are you?" The demons all yelled "No!"

Faith sighed and pulled her knife. She moved up the outermost demon and quickly wrapped her hand over his wide mouth and plunged her blade into his neck, slashing it back to the bone. She held him up for a moment then slowly lowered him to the ground. As the leader kept ranting on, she moved from one beast to another. Trying to be as quiet as possible. She knew she couldn't take them all in a stand up fight. She was good, but they had numbers. And without any true way to take that out of the equation, she did the next best thing she could. She relegated herself to the role of shadow stalking assassin.

"So I figure, what better way to kick off our ... semi-settling-down, than with a little christening?" He was grinning evilly as the demons secured the chains to their motorcycles. "A symbolic act commemorating the new order around here…and ridding ourselves of any not-so-pleasant reminders of the old." He pulled a gun and slowly, theatrically, placed a bullet in the cylinder.

Faith saw this and knew what was coming. Her time had run out. She reached down and lifted the bottle of vodka that one of the demons had in his hand. She took a long pull off of it. The alcohol scorched her throat. She ripped a piece of cloth from the demon's shirt and stuffed it into the bottle. "Can't believe I'm doin' this for a fucking robot." She said to herself. She knelt in the shadows and pulled her Zippo from her pocket. She lit the rag and sighed. "I must be out of my fucking mind." She moved behind a car and nodded. She then stood and hurled the bottle with everything she had at one of the men on the bikes.

The Molotov cocktail slammed into his chest, spilling flaming alcohol all over him. She quickly trotted in a special forces squat to another car and climbed inside, keeping low.

The demons were in a sudden frenzy. "Who did that?" The leader screamed. Everyone began looking around. "We got a party crasher, boys." He said. "Find 'em."

The beasts spread out, searching the area. Faith kept an eye out and tried keeping ahead of the monsters. She moved around the car as one of them got close. She climbed into an old station wagon and grabbed the dirty carpet from the back of the rig, dragging it up and over her to conceal herself. She peeked out as one of the beasts looked into the car. He grinned at her and reached in, grabbing her by the lepels and pulling her out. She didn't fight him. She simply drove her knife up into his throat, and pressed her hand to his mouth.

Several more demons came to check on the action. She pulled him in on top of her and lifted her legs, making it look as if he was raping her. She began whimpering and crying, muttering "No, please stop." Over and over.

"Ah, look at that. Raxx found himself a prime piece." One of the demons said. "We get her when you're done, bud."

She let out a deep guttural groan. The demons obviously weren't too bright. They nodded and moved on. Faith peeked out from under him and sighed. "Get off me." She said, pushing the demon aside. She crawled from the other side of the car and crept closer to the Buffybot. The demons were scouring the surrounding area, looking for her. She kept to the shadows, trying as hard as she could to be quiet. She came up behind the blonde android and stood, putting her hand over the bot's mouth. "I'm gonna get you outta here, but you have to be completely silent. Don't say a word, okay? Just nod if you understand me."

The robot nodded.

Faith thought quickly. "I'll get you to Willow for repairs, okay?" Buffybot nodded eagerly. She accepted the response, released her hand and began working with the chains. She just managed to get them freed when the leader caught sight of her. "Shit." Faith said. "Um…run." She said to the Buffybot. "Try and keep up, robo B."

The Buffybot kept pace with some difficulty. "I have to get back to Willow." She said said, her voice strained. "I'm damaged. Power failure imminent."

"Yeah, well if you don't keep up the pace, you're gonna have more than a power failure to worry about." Faith said. "We're never gonna get anywhere on foot." She pointed to an alley. "Get over there and stay put. I'm gonna get us a ride."

The Buffybot did as she was told and ran for the alley. Faith followed her and turned, waiting. A pair of demons roared after her. She pulled her sword from her back and spun it in her hands. "Come on, burger-face. Come and get me."

The first of the pair pulled a chain from around his handlebars and swung it, looking to take the slayer from her feet. The steel links shot forward, sailing toward Faith's legs. She executed a solid backflip, missing the chain altogether. She landed and turned, swinging her blade as he sailed past. The razor sharp edge took his head off, causing the bike to swerve and collide with a burning car.

She wasn't prepared however, when the second demon buried a fireaxe in her back as he shot by her. She screamed and staggered, dropping to her knees. It hurt like hell, but she could feel that the body armor had done its job. It turned a deadly blow into a glancing one. She reached back and gripped the handle of the axe and with a grunt of pain, pulled it free. She could feel the hot blood running down her back. She stood, with the axe in one hand and her blade in the other, to meet the demon as he turned back around. He was shocked to see her still standing. "Ready for round two, asshole?" She stepped out into the middle of the street.

He growled and revved his bike, racing toward her. His front wheel rose in the air a moment before he dropped back down…to see the axe flying toward his head. He had a moment to contemplate how badly screwed he was before the weapon cracked into his skull, throwing him backward off his bike and to the ground, dead.

Faith moved over and lifted the motorcycle. "Aw, man." She said. "A fuckin' Yamaha. I hate Yamaha." She fired it up and looked to the Buffy bot. "Come on."

The robot ran over and climbed on. "Are you taking me to Willow now?"

"Yeah. Hold onto me." The bot wrapped her arms tightly around the slayer to the point of pain. "Alright, B, damn. Not that tight."

"I'm sorry." The robot said, her voice chipper.

"Just don't fall off." Faith said. "Oh, shit." She saw a few bikers racing after her. "Time to go." She took off like a shot, moving through the town at breakneck speeds. She looked down at the bike she was on. "Fuck I hate a Yamaha." She turned to see the demons closing on her. "We're too damn heavy. They're catching us." Faith said. "You know how to ride a motorcycle?" She asked he robot.

"I'm not allowed to ride things." The bot said. "I used to ride Spike." She added, happily.

"Yeah, one of the things in a long list I really didn't need to hear." Faith snapped. "We've gotta get off the road." She ripped past an alleyway. She caught a glimpse of another rider coming toward them. "Dammit." She leaned down and throttled back. "Okay, I'm gonna…" She looked back and couldn't help but cheese. "Yes!" She shot out.

As the bikers closed on the alley, another motorcycle flew into the street. It's wheels smacked across the demons bodies and heads, causing them to lose their control and careen into various piles of flotsam. The rider, a bleach blonde man in a long black leather coat hit the ground and dropped his foot, cranking the bike to the side. He then revved the engine and lifted his front wheel, speeding after the pair.

Faith smiled at him as he caught up with her. "Heya, Spike." She said, happily. "Figured you'd be out in this."

"Looked like so much fun, I thought I'd get in on the party." He offered, keeping pace. "What happened to Buffybot?"

"Some demons were gonna tear her up." Faith looked back at the android. She was staring to the side with lifeless eyes. "She said she was gonna have a power failure. I need to get her to Red."

"Let's go and drop her off and then get out there and clean up our town." Spike said.

"Sounds like a plan." Faith said, racing ahead.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Faith and Spike raced toward the Summers' house side by side. They could still hear motorcycles in the distance, but the road, for the moment seemed to be clear. A few minutes later they pulled to a stop in front of the large home. Spike dismounted and pried the Buffybot's arms from about Faith. As soon as she was free, she climbed off and trotted up to the house. "Do you know if they have a spare key or something?"

He nodded and handed the girl the unconscious robot. He then reached up above the doorjamb and pulled down a silver key. He quickly unlocked the deadbolt and pushed the door open. "She usually sleeps in this closet, here." Spike said, pointing. He pulled the door open for her. She nestled the bot in and shut the door. "We need to find lil' bit and the witches." He said, looking around.

"I had 'em go down into the basement and sit tight. One way in, one way out. Easier to defend if the shit hit the fan." Faith said.

"Good thinkin'." Spike said, moving toward the door. He slowly pulled it open. "Hey, Dawn? You down there, nibblet?"

"Spike?" He heard Dawn's small voice in the dark.

"That's right, bit. Me and Faith." He said, descending down the stairs. Faith was right behind him.

"You guys okay?" Faith asked looking at the three of them. Dawn stood with a baseball bat clutched in her hands. Willow had a crossbow and Tara was carrying an axe. "Good, you armed yourselves." She walked over and took the baseball bat from dawn. "That isn't gonna do shit to these guys." She tossed it to Spike and pulled her sword. "Here. Razor sharp and cut through these mothers like butter."

Dawn nodded, but kept her terrified expression.

"We sent the Buffybot out on patrol." Willow said. "We have to find her."

"She's upstairs in the closet." Faith offered. "They were gonna tear her apart…literally. They had chains around her arms and legs and were gonna pull her apart. I managed to get her out, but got a lot of attention doing it. Did you guys contact anyone?"

They all shook their heads. "No. You told us not to." Dawn said. "They wanted to call Xander and Giles, but I stopped them."

Faith smiled and ruffled her hair. "Good lookin' out." She said, nodding. "Alright you guys stay put for a while longer. Spike and I are gonna check on the others. See if they're okay. We'll keep in touch. You got your phone?" She asked Dawn.

The girl nodded and pulled it out. "Right here."

"Good. I'll give you the all clear. Just stay here and don't go upstairs, okay? No matter what you hear."

"Faith…" Tara said, worried. "Your back. It's bleeding."

"I'm fine. I ain't got time to bleed." The slayer said. She patted Spike on the chest. "Let's get moving. I saw something on our way here that's gonna help."

He pulled Dawn in and hugged her. "Be back in a bit, nibblet." He said. "Take care of these two for us, alright?"

"Be careful." She said, trying not to cry. She let him go and clutched the sword to her chest. She watched them go and couldn't help but worry.

Faith trotted out to the motorcycle and climbed on. "A ways back I saw something. Wanna check it out. Might be a nice war wagon."

Spike nodded, revving his bike. "Sounds good." He followed her as she raced off. As they came around the corner, they spied a group bikers smashing up the lane.

Faith counted five in all. "Feel like letting off a little steam?"

"I can get behind that." Spike offered, grinning. He cranked the throttle, lifting the front wheel off the ground, racing toward a demon.

Faith followed suit and moved in beside him. The pair caught the same demon square, bouncing over him, sending him rolling along the concrete.

The remaining four demons looked about as the slayer and the vampire pulled to a stop and leapt from their bikes. Faith pulled her knife free and spun it in her hand. "You boys look like you're havin' fun."

Spike pulled the hooked crowbar from the dead demon's hand. "Don't mind if we cut in, do ya?"

The demons rushed the pair, snarling and growling. Spike began laughing as he tore into the demons with abandon. "Oh, yeah!" He was happy as a clam. He spun out of the way of a haphazard machete swing and bashed the demon across the chops with the crowbar, sending him flying. The second demon managed to get a chain wrapped around Spike's throat and pull. The blonde vampire stopped and turned at the demon, staring at him like he was stupid. "Bloody pillock!" He shouted, gripping the chain and pulling roughly, causing the demon to stagger toward him. "I don't breathe, you sodding burke." He spun the crowbar in his hand and drove the end of it, down into the demon's skull and out through the back of his neck. The beast fell to the ground, dead.

Spike unwrapped the chain about his neck and turned, using to whip the demon on the ground. The links cracked across the biker's back. "Hah, mule!" The vampire was in seventh heaven. "What's that?" He said, laughing, beating on the demon relentlessly. "You want me to hit you some more?" He said, again hitting the demon. "I can do that."

Faith didn't waste a lot of time. She ran at the pair full speed, looking for a quick takedown. The first demon she came to had a large knife in his hand and drew back to slash at her. As the blade came forward, she caught his right hand at the wrist with her left hand. She quickly jammed her own blade into the side of his head. As his grip on his knife loosened, she snatched it from his hand and stepped past him into the path of the next demon. He carried a sledgehammer and was big enough to use it effectively. She inverted the blades in her hand ice-pick fashion and stalked toward him. He ran on, his arms back to swing the mighty weapon. She dropped to her knees and slid to a stop in front of him, both knives slamming into the sides of the beasts' knees.

The monster fell forward. Faith leaned forward, driving her shoulders into his knees and shooting to her feet, flipping him up and over her to crash to the ground on his back. She spun as he landed and pushed both blades rapidly into his skull.

She let out a quick breath and saw Spike enjoying the hell out of himself. He was whipping the shit out of a demon with the length of chain. She chuckled and moved over to another one of the demon's bikes. "Ooh." She said, kneeling and looking at it. "1942 Harley Davidson. A little work and she could be a badass machine." She climbed onto it and fired it up. It obviously needed a bit of work, but it sounded pretty good, all things considered. "Not bad." She looked at Spike. "Alright, bleach. We gotta get moving."

He looked at her and back to the simpering demon that lay in a shredded bloody heap on the ground. He moved over and wrapped the chain around the monster's neck and pulled. The bones broke with a wet crunch. He climbed onto a random bike and grinned at her. "Now _that_ was bloody fun." He fired his bike up.

"Glad you enjoyed yourself." She said, racing off. Soon she came to what she was looking for. "There we are."

"A lorry?" He asked. "What good is that gonna do?"

"We're gonna be collectin' the rest of the gang. We're gonna need something that those biker boys ain't gonna be able to stop." She smiled. "Besides, this isn't just a semi. This is a Peterbilt 379. This one of the baddest trucks on the planet." She quickly unbuttoned the bonnet and flipped it up, taking a look. "Looks like…C-16 Caterpillar. Six hundred horses and two thousand fifty foot pounds of torque." She looked at him. "This is a beast."

"Which reminds me, where's your car? I thought I saw you in it earlier."

"I don't wanna talk about it." Faith said, walking the bike over and pushing it into the bushes. She then pulled some branches off to conceal it.

"What are you doin'?" He asked her.

"This is '42 Harley Davidson army special. These things are rare as hell. I'm keepin' this one, but I can take this and the rig at the same time." She trotted over and pulled the door open. The driver was dead with his skull smashed in on the front seat. She dragged him out and climbed in. "Get in, blondie. We got people to save."

"Do you know how to drive one of these, bint?" He asked as he slid into the passenger seat.

She looked at him and pushed the gear lever into neutral. "No. No idea at all." She said, shaking her head. "Some trucker taught me how to drive her rig once. That and I'm a quick study." She put her foot on the gas a touch and turned the key. The dash lights came on and clicked off one by one. "Nice." She said, happily. She turned the key and listened as the starter motor groaned. "Come on, baby." She was rewarded with a bellowing growl as the huge diesel engine rumbled to life. Thick black smoke poured from the stacks. "Alright, we're in business."

"Good. You can start the bloody thing. But can you drive it?" He asked her.

"I will punch you in the throat." She said to him. She put the clutch in and pushed in the airbrake. The telltale 'whoosh' told her that it was off. She gripped the gearshift and put it in third, just like Frankie had taught her. She gave it some gas and the truck lurched forward. "Ha!" She said, shifting up as the rig roared on. She rolled over the bikes and demons corpses. She smashed through the debris in the streets. "This is awesome."

Spike nodded his approval. "I'm gutted. You actually know your way around this thing pretty well."

"Spent some time with truck drivers. You pick up on a few things." The slayer said, banging through the streets. "We're closer to Xander's apartment. We'll grab him and Anya first."

Spike nodded. "That works." He said, looking around. "Oh, lovely. We've got company." He said, looking in his rearview mirror. Two bikers were rolling after them. "Right. You keep drivin'. I'll go have a chat with our friends." He pushed the door open and stepped out onto the gas tank. "Be back soon, love." He said, slamming the door closed.

Faith smiled and shifted gears, plowing through a burning car. "He's havin' the time of his life in this."

Spike climbed onto the back of the rig and watched as the two demons came roaring at them. "Come on you bloody wankers."

They both closed in and leapt from their bikes, crawling up onto the rear deck of the semi. Spike quickly put a boot to the first of the pair, knocking him off the frame and down between the massive wheels of the truck. The demon was immediately crushed and ground into paste buy the thick rubber. The second demon got to a crouch and lunged at the vampire. He slammed Spike back against the heavy steel of the cab.

The blonde undead grabbed the monster's wrists and forced his hands out wide. He then delivered a solid kick to his genitals. The demon howled and staggered back. Spike left fly with a hard right cross that spun the biker from the rig to the same fate as his companion. Blood and viscera sprayed the back of the truck as he was chewed up and finally spat out beneath the monstrous iron juggernaut. Spike laughed and climbed back around into the cab. "I had a nice talk with our friends." He looked at Faith.

"And did they see things your way?" Faith asked him.

"Took a little convincing but they had to bugger off. They were a might tired." He couldn't help but smile.

Faith just chuckled. "That was bad." She slowed and rounded a corner. "Oh, this isn't good."

Before them, a large greyhound bus was pulled across the street. And a host of demons stood in front of it.

"Just mow through 'em." Spike said.

"Um…" She looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "That bus outweighs this rig nearly three to one."

"Bloody hell." Spike said, sadly. He counted up how many demons there were. "Theres nineteen out there, love."

"Caught that." She sighed and pulled the knife she got from the demon and flipped it over, taking hold of the blade. "Here. You're gonna need this."

"You figure on takin' em out?"

"Or die tryin'. If it looks like things are goin' bad, get the hell outta dodge." She looked at him. "You gotta protect Dawn in case I don't make it out of this alive. Make sure G is ready for the next slayer that comes along."

"I'm not lettin' you die, bint." Spike said, his voice stern. "Dawn just lost a sister…I'm not lettin' her lose her best friend. Things go south, _you're_ gonna be the one runnin'." Spike said. "Ain't a debate, girl."

Faith hated running from a fight. She'd never been good at it. The only fight she ever ran away from followed her from coast to coast. She stared him in the eye. "You…you'd really sacrifice your life for them?"

He sighed and looked at the floor. "For lil bit…yeah. I guess I would."

She smiled at him. She moved over and pulled him in, kissing him passionately. "If we survive this…" She leaned back and gripped the door handle. "I owe you some champagne."

He grinned and nodded. "Then let's make sure we do, yeah?" The pair stepped out of the rig and moved around in front of it.

"I was wonderin' when you were gonna figure out that you had nowhere to go." The leader offered.

"Who the hell are you, anyway?" Faith asked. "And what makes you think you can come into my town and get away with it?"

"Name's Razor." He growled. "And take a look around, girl. This ain't your town anymore. This is Hellion Central."

"Funny. We been greasin' your boys all night long." She pulled the knife from her belt. "What's one more?"

"Who do you think you are?" He asked, grinning. "The slayer?"

"Now you're catchin' on." Faith said.

"Slayer's dead, sister. And the only thing close is a jacked up toy."

"You must not know anything about slayers, dumbass. Don't you read your history?" Faith asked him.

"Every time one slayer dies, another one is called." Spike said, chuckling. "Learned that one the hard way. Funny story…"

"Don't rightly give a damn." Razor said. "You can walk away, Billy. The girl stays."

Spike smacked his lips. "Yeah, see. Got a bit of a problem with that. See, this here slayer is a friend of mine. Don't run out on my friends." He furrowed his brow. "Never thought I'd hear myself say that."

Faith chuckled. "Do yourself a favor, Gillette and get the fuck outta my town. I ain't got time to deal with you assholes."

"We kinda like it here." Razor said.

Faith snarled and stalked toward him. "Then I gotta fuckin' kill ya. I'm hurt, I'm tired, I'm wired and I'm pissed off." A demon ran at her, his rusted brushknife lifted for killing strike. She snap-kicked him in the balls, doubling him over. She stepped aside and slammed her knife into the back of his neck. She never broke stride. "And I'm so not in the _fuckin' _mood."

"Boys, tear it up." Razor snapped. The demons as one rushed the slayer.

Spike ran in and dove into the throng, knocking most of them to the ground. He quickly kicked himself to his feet. He grabbed a loose machete and spun it in his left hand. He met up back to back with Faith. The demons surrounded them, growling. "Not one of your brighter ideas, if I'm honest, bint."

"Yeah. Really wasn't thinkin' this one through." Faith said, sadly. "Let's just take out as many of these bastards as we can."

"You got it." Spike said, lunging for one of the demons. The beast swung his crowbar at the vampire. Spike ducked below the strike, taking the biker's arm off with the machete. He spun, dragging the knife across the demon's throat in a follow up swing. A second beast raced in, his own knife leading. The blade bit into Spike's chest. The blonde vampire hissed in pain, ramming both his blades into the demons chest and head, dropping him to the ground.

Faith straight kicked a vamp in the chest, sending him back into his colleagues. She stepped forward to follow him, stabbing him in the heart with her knife. She ripped the blade downward, cutting him from heart to navel. She hopped back as his innards splattered on the ground.

His friends recovered quickly and tried to get back in at her. She grabbed one of their arms and twisted it, slamming the blade that he was carrying into another demon's gut. She then struck with her own knife, stabbing the first in the head and killing the second with steel to the neck. The pair went down in a heap. She was staggered as she felt a baseball bat crack against her lower back. Another shot caught her across the teeth, throwing her to the ground.

She fought past the blurring of her vision to see the pair of demons glowering down at her. "Damn." She said, sadly. She was somewhat surprised when she saw an arrow suddenly bury itself on one of the demon's chest. Another arrow quickly punched into the other's back. Both fell to the ground, dead. She ignored the pain and kicked herself to her feet. She saw Spike still ass deep in alligators. One by one the demons around them were dropping. Someone was taking pot shots at them. She quickly pushed a demon aside as he ran at her. She snap kicked him in the stomach and slashed him across the side of the neck. He was dead before he ever hit the ground. She turned and looked across the street. She couldn't help but grin.

Giles stood, in all his tweed clad glory, with a cross bow firing off shot after shot. He was incredibly fast on the reload. "I've got you covered." He said, putting arrow after arrow into the demons.

Faith looked at Razor and grinned. "Looks like it's just you and me, Hoss." She spun the blade in her hand. "What do you say, Mack? You wanna shot at the title?"

Razor grinned. "Why not?" He pulled a long pigsticker from behind his back. "Show me what you got."

Faith lunged at him, her knife leading. Razor, no stranger to a knife fight dodged to the side, draggin his own blade down across her thigh. The padded pants took most of the damage, but he still drew a deep cut along the flesh. She grimaced and staggered past him. She whirled around, squaring off. "Nice shot." She said to him. "Underestimated you. Thought you as lame and pathetic as the rest of your boys."

"I'm from a worse a part town." He said, motioning for her to bring it. "Let's try this again, shall we?"

Faith inverted her blade and nodded. "Yeah. Let's." She waded back in her hand swiping in at his head.

He leaned back, letting the strike sail wide. He answered with jab of his own, his knife aimed for her neck. She batted the strike away and snap kicked him in the leg. His knee faltered, but he remained standing. She followed up with a similar kick to his other leg. This time he fell to his knees. She planted her boot hard in his chest, throwing him back to the ground. His knife went flying. She straddled him and drove her knife toward his head. He gripped her wrist and stopped her momentum.

She put her hand over the pommel of the blade and pushed with all her strength. "You're …gonna…die." She growled through her clenched teeth.

He engaged her in a test of strength. He was a big, badass demon that had terrified the backroads and small towns of America for decades. But this was the first time he'd ever had to deal with a slayer. This girl, a full foot shorter and probably less than half his weight…was simply stronger. The blade inched toward his face. The steel kissed his head right between his eyes and slowly pushed into his skull. He could feel the pain as it carved its way into his flesh. He growled, then screamed…then died.

Blood shot into the air like a geyser. Faith stared into his lifeless eyes. "Like I said, motherfucker. _My _town." She rose from his body and looked around. The bikers had stopped fighting and were watching her. "He's dead." She said to them. She then pointed her knife at them all. "Every one of you _motherfuckers_ are gonna join him if you don't get the hell out of my town. You've all lost your Sunnydale privileges." She could see them considering it. "What's it gonna be, boys? I ain't got all night."

Wisely, the few remaining demons got on their motorcycles and raced off into the night. She watched them go. Of the dozens that came to Sunnydale, less than a third were alive to tell about it. And Faith was fairly certain they would spread the word.

Sunnydale was a no man's land for their kind. There were plenty of other small towns for them to terrorize. But this was _her_ town. And she would go to her grave to defend it. And there was a no bullshit badass Watcher and a century old vampire with a thirst for demon screams to help her do it.

She watched them go and turned to Giles. He walked over to her, slinging his crossbow as he did so. "That was impressive." He said, looking her over. "Are you alright?"

"I'm a little sore, I'm not gonna lie." She offered. She looked at her watch and noticed it was just after three in the morning. "Let's go home." She said. She looked at Spike. "Take a rain check?"

Spike pulled a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket and lifted one to his mouth, lighting it. "I'm alright with that." He looked at Giles. "Later."

"Spike?" Faith said. He turned to look back at her. "I really do owe you."

He stared at her a moment. "No problem, bint." He walked off, waving back at them. "See ya round, slayer."

"Let's get you home and look you over."

"Did you drive?" Faith asked him.

"No. I wasn't about to present my car as a target to these…hooligans." Giles said, looking about.

"Fair enough." She motioned to the semi. "Come on." She pulled her phone out as she walked, dialing Xander's number.

"Hello?" The boy asked, his voice a little weary.

"You guys alright?" She asked him.

"Yeah. We had one come in through the window, but I handled it. After the, you know, screaming and crying."

"Just wanted to make sure. They've bugged out. We might have a few stragglers, but I don't think they should be an issue anymore."

"What about Dawn, Willow and Tara?" Xander asked, nervously. "These things were everywhere. I didn't get a chance to go over and check on them."

"They're fine. I told 'em to hold up in the basement. Spike and I found the Buffybot and took her home so Red can fix her up. I'm headed back there now. You want me to stop by and pick you up?"

"No. I'll go over in the morning." He said. "Right now I'm gonna just, you know, die."

"I hear ya." Faith said, wiping her eyes. "I'll check in with you later."

"Bye." He said, ending the call. Faith then dialed Dawn's cell. "Hey little D. I'm on my way back to your place. I got Giles with me."

"Okay." Dawn said. "Can we come out of the basement yet?"

"Yeah, they're pretty much gone." Faith said, climbing in behind the wheel of the Pete. "I'll be there in a few minutes." She hung up and put her phone away.

"Where did you get this?" Giles asked as he sat down beside her.

"Found it. The driver was dead, didn't figure he'd need it anymore." Faith said, firing it up. She took off toward the Summer's house. It had been a long ass night and she needed some rest.

She told the three girls what went down as Giles sewed up the massive gash on her back. She kept pressure on the leg wound and regaled them with the whole story.

After her wounds were tended, and Tara cooked a hearty meal of biscuits and gravy, Faith walked up into the room that Buffy once inhabited. The girl's belongings had been removed, so that the only remaining items was a bed with plain linens, a small somewhat frilly nightstand, a matching dresser and bookshelf and a rocking chair in the corner. A small boom box sat on the top of the dresser.

Faith could smell that it had been recently cleaned. She briefly wondered where all Buffy's things had been moved to, but shrugged it off.

She went over and sat on the edge of the bed and looked around the room. She expected to feel strange being in the girl's room after all these years, but…she was oddly comfortable. "I'm tryin' B." She said to the empty room. "I'm doin' my best to look after 'em for ya. Just like ya asked me to." She let out a sigh. "It's tough. Tonight was…it was a hell of a challenge."

The rocking chair began to move slightly. "B?" She said, looking at it. "Is that you?"

The radio suddenly kicked on. She was regaled with _Nothing Else Matters _by Metallica. She listened and couldn't help but slowly smile. As the song ended, the station changed abruptly and an announcer came on suddenly. "…words to live by." He said, before radio shut off.

Faith nodded and stripped off the t-shirt and shorts that Tara let her borrow and climbed into bed. She pulled the sheet up over her and closed her eyes. She felt something brush the hair from her eyes and looked up to see no one. But she didn't need to see to know who it was.

Slowly she drifted off to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Faith lifted the stack of boxes and carried them through the house and down into the basement of the Summers' home. She set them against the wall and made sure they were clear of the walkway. She stood and wiped her hand across her brow. She turned and trotted back up the stairs.

"Faith?" Tara called her name as she walked through the kitchen.

"What's up, T-bear?" The slayer said, stopping to look at the blonde.

The girl smiled and held up a plate of sandwiches. "I th-thought you might be hungry."

Faith moved over to the island and took a seat, nodding. "I'm always hungry." The slayer said, before digging into the chicken salad sandwiches. They were piled high with meat, tomato and lettuce. She devoured one of them in record time. "Awesome." She said, taking the can of soda Tara put on the counter and shotgunning it. She stifled a burp and sighed. "Thanks, Tare."

The girl nodded and smiled softly. "I-It's the least I can do for our friendly neighborhood slayer."

Willow bobbed into the room, moving up beside her girlfriend and kissing her passionately on the lips. "Hey." She said happily.

"Hey b-back." Tara returned, blushing.

Willow then turned to Faith. "You sure you don't need help out there?"

The slayer shook her head. "Nope. It's not really that bad. Besides, you guys are letting me use the garage for my rig, the least I can do is clear it out." Faith said, taking a bite of her second sandwich. "And your sexy girlfriend made me sandwiches to keep me goin'."

Willow looked at Tara and sighed heavily. "She is sexy, isn't she?" She giggled as Tara turned a deep shade of red and went about making another sandwich for her love.

"Somethin' the two of you share in common." Faith said, simply.

Willow looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You think I'm sexy?" She looked down at herself. Dressed as she was in a simple purple shirt, a pair of black jeans and a dark brown long over shirt, she didn't feel particularly…

"At the risk of pissing off your girl, I always kinda thought you were cute, Red. I mean back in the day you had the whole 'hot nerd' thing goin' on. Don't get me wrong, you were a walking fashion disaster, but I knew under all that, you were kickin' the curves." She motioned to the girl. "Case in point."

Tara smiled at how uncomfortable the girl was. She found it to be cute as hell. That and she happened to know just how delicious Willow's body looked under all those clothes.

Willow, on the other hand, never really saw herself that way. She dressed for comfort and to, well, not be naked. Beyond that she really never gave much thought to what she wore. Yes, she had gotten better about not teaming blue, black and orange horizontal striped shirts and black skirts with orange leggings…she shuddered. She had no idea what the hell she was thinking with that… But she just never saw herself as the kind of girl anyone went for. Oz was really into her, but…if he really loved her, he wouldn't have left.

She looked at Tara. The girl was simply giving her that soft loving smile. In the end, Oz wasn't what – _who_ – she wanted. She was in love with Tara. Her heart soared at the simple sight of the girl.

"And let's be honest." Faith added. "Those pants are tight enough, they look like you stole them from my wardrobe. And that shirt isn't really doing shit to hide your tits. Because I can tell it's a little brisk in here."

Willow looked down and was shocked to see her nipples standing at attention. She immediately put her arms over them.

Faith finished her sandwich, giggling. "Nothing to be embarrassed about, Red." She pointed to hers. "I got the same problem."

"But that's you." Willow said, staring at Faith's chest. She had to admit, as much as she disliked the slayer back then…she'd always been very, very pretty. She honestly thought that Faith, though her looks were more down to earth, was every bit as attractive as Cordelia. As far as who was the bigger bitch? To her the jury was out on that one. Yes, Faith did go insane and murder people, but…at least she never tried to make everyone around her as miserable as possible to make herself feel better. That revelation actually startled Willow a little. "Huh." She said, looking at Faith, cocking her head.

The slayer looked at her and down to her shirt. "What? I got chicken on my shirt or something?"

"No." The Willow said. "I'm just realizing that even for all of your faults…you were a better human being than Cordelia back in high school."

That surprised the hell out of Faith. "Red…"

"Yeah, you went a little off the deep end, but…I don't think you ever really _enjoyed_ the misery what you did caused. You didn't do it because it made you feel good. I think you did it because it made the Mayor proud of you." She moved around and stood in front of Faith. "That, more than anything, is what drove you to do what you did. It wasn't for the pain, it wasn't for the hurt that you inflicted…it was for that smile that told you you were special to someone."

Faith nodded. "I was never the good kid, you know? I was always a fuck-up." She stared into Willow's eyes. "I gotta get this out in the open, Red. In the interest of honesty and all that noise." She wiped a tear from her eyes. "When we were in the Mayor's office. You know what really made me mad? When you told me I had more than some people? That I had friends like Buffy?" She sighed. "You never said friends like _us_." She looked down at her hands. "That's what bothered me the most." She shrugged. "I know one word in the grand scheme of things may not seem like much to you, with like, the vocabulary from hell, but to me?" She looked Willow in the eyes. "That hurt."

Willow understood where Faith was coming from, she really did. Being the misfit she was, pretty much her entire life, she knew the strength words could have. "I'm sorry Faith." The girl said. "I should never have said that. I should have just done some kind of spell on you and dragged your unconscious butt back to Angel and let him try again." The Redhead frowned.

Faith turned and crossed her arms, leaning them on the counter. "When he had me chained up in his mansion, I didn't wanna hear it." She shook her head. "Strangely, it wasn't the way you and Xander looked at me. It was what Buffy kept saying. She kept using the whole '_you_ killed a man'. She never took any responsibility." She lay her head down on the table and pulled the memory of that night to the forefront. When in prison, she had to speak with a counselor. The woman, a transplant from the Watcher's Council, made her fess up to a lot. But she also cleared Faith's mind of a lot of things, leaving behind the cold hard truth. "He just stepped out of nowhere. We were going full tilt. Adrenaline doesn't come with a safety. This guy bad, this guy good, you know? B grabbed him and slammed him into that dumpster." She looked at Willow. "But…as hard as this is for you to believe, Red?" She shook her head. "I didn't kill him."

Willow furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

Faith sighed. "When I was on the inside, the Watcher's sent a shrink to talk to me. I couldn't have been honest with the prison head shrinkers and wouldn't have been able to get anywhere. The chick was really cool and talked to me a lot. She helped me out quite a bit. But one of the things she did was get me to acknowledge my part in the crimes I committed. She even went so far as hypnotherapy to help me remember things. She took me back to that night in the alley. And when she did, I noticed something. I've done research since and came up with what really killed Deputy Mayor Finch." She looked at Willow. "If you go back and look at his autopsy report, you find something pretty damn amazing. I'll wait."

Willow did as Faith suggested and went up to the room she and Tara shared to get her laptop. She brought it down to the kitchen and logged onto the internet. She typed away for a moment and looked at the file. Tara moved over and looked over her shoulder. Having read a few medical texts, she knew some of the words.

"Read what it says is the primary cause of death." Faith said. There was no emotion in her voice whatsoever.

"Traumatic Pneumothorax caused by multiple internal perforations of the lungs." She slowly lifted her eyes to Faith, but quoted the rest of the entry. "Secondary injuries include a single perforation of the left ventricle."

"When B chucked him into that dumpster, she broke his ribs and pushed 'em into his lungs." Faith shook her head. "He was dead before I ever touched him. By the time B shouted no, I was too far into the swing to stop myself. But in the end, it wouldn't have mattered."

"Then why would Buffy blame you exclusively?" Tara said. "That doesn't make sense."

"It does if you think about it." Faith offered. "Buffy didn't know what she'd done. She only saw what went down. I had the stake in my hand, I pushed it into his chest." She shook her head. "That autopsy was done two days after they found the body. The cops came and talked to me and B one night after he was dragged from the river." She pointed to the computer screen. "That's information that the cops didn't have. They just had the stake angle."

Willow was stunned. "If this is accurate, then Buffy really was the one that killed him."

"Yeah. But she didn't know that at the time. She was there, though. And she didn't take any responsibility for that." Faith shook her head. "I copped to it then, but I'm not gonna now. Finch was not on me."

Tara moved over and hugged Faith from behind. "That's alright. This is all past. It's time to work on the future. And y-you've got a wonderful start."

Faith patted her arms and stood up. "I just wanted to clear the air." She turned and began going back into the garage.

"Faith?" Willow said. As the girl turned around she gave her a smile. "I may not have, you know, liked you then so much, but…I like you now."

Faith gave her a dimpled grin. "Better late than never, Red." The slayer offered. She headed back in to get to work.

Tara grinned as she watched Faith pop her hips as she walked back into the garage. Her smile got a tad wider as she saw her lovely red haired girlfriend doing the exact same thing.

Dawn sat on the roof of the house just outside her bedroom window and pulled out her cell phone and dialed Giles' number.

"Hello?" He asked. "No…Anya. That's a spell book, not a history text. It goes in the…" He paused. "Yes, I know you know the difference. But that book goes on the shelf to your left, not the one directly behind you." He sighed heavily. "Thank you. Sorry, yes. Hello?"

"Hey Giles. Sorry to disturb you, but I need to get a cashier's check out of my account." She said, simply.

"Why, exactly?" He asked her.

"To help Faith get her car fixed. The demon bikers that attacked town last week did a real number on it and I wanna help her fix it. I know she spent most of her money getting it, but she doesn't have a lot of money to get it fixed." Dawn offered.

"I suppose that's fair." He said, moving into the office at the Magic Box. He closed the door behind him and sat down at the desk. "How much do you think…"

"It's gonna be pretty spendy, I'm sure. The plumbing and bills have already taken about thirty five thousand I've probably only got about…"

"According to the statement I'm looking at, you've got a hundred and fifteen thousand left in your account." Giles said.

Dawn furrowed her brow. "I thought they were only giving me, like, a hundred grand?"

"They gave you a hundred and fifty, total." He didn't see where she was confused.

"Wait." The girl said. "Did they give Buffy back pay for the time she was still fighting, but wasn't working for them?"

"I believe so, yes." Giles said. "It only makes sense. She was still following the rules and still doing as she was supposed to. There's no reason why they shouldn't."

"Oh." Dawn said. "Well…cool. I need a cashier's check for like…" She thought about it. "Fifteen grand."

"Fifteen thousand dollars?" Giles said. "Dawn…that's a lot of money."

"Yeah, I know. But Faith deserves it. If she has to save up, it's gonna take her forever to get her car fixed. I don't want her to have to sit and stare at her car, doing only little things to get it done. She should be able to be back on the road quicker than that."

"I'm sure Faith can manage the financing of her repairs just fine…"

"Giles, listen to the words that I am speaking. I-am-going-to-help-her." She spoke slowly. "I need you to call the bank and okay it. Me and Faith are going down there today and we need to get this done. So make with the bank doo-dah."

He groaned and massaged the bridge of his nose. "I swear you and Buffy are so alike."

Dawn's heart froze in her chest a moment and a lump found its way into her throat. "That's the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me."

"Oh, Dawn I'm sorry." Giles offered, suddenly regretful. "Of-of course. I'll make the call right away."

"It's alright. I just…I still miss her. Even after all these months."

"I know." He said, his voice full of sorrow. "You try and have a good day, okay?"

"I will." She said, ending the call. She sat there a moment with her head resting on her knees. She felt tears in her eyes and tried hard not to cry. For a few minutes she remained thus before climbing back in her window and making her way downstairs. Tara sat on the sofa with her sock-covered feet cross on the coffee table and Willow lying with her head in Tara's lap and her feet dangling over the end of the sofa.

"Hey, Dawnie." Tara said, smiling. "What's up?"

"Where's Faith?"

"She's in the garage tinkering with her car." Willow said, pointing to the kitchen.

Dawn nodded and trotted through the kitchen to the garage door and pulled it open. Faith knelt on the floor with a pry-bar trying to pulled the mutilated fender away from the front wheel. Her strength was doing the job, but it was bending the fender all to hell. "You gonna be able to fix it?" She asked.

Faith sat back and wiped her hand across her head. "Well, yeah. Fender's shot, door needs to be replaced and the right quarterpanel is hammered. The damage to the steering isn't actually as bad as I thought, but it's still gotta all come out. Luckily the engine and hood weren't messed up." She stood and tossed the pry-bar down on the work bench. "Just a matter of money and time. I can do the work myself, but…coming up with the cash is gonna be tough." She shrugged and turned to Dawn. "So what brings you outta the D-cave?"

"Get the keys to the Jeep. We're going for a ride." Dawn said, moving toward the Cherokee.

"Um…care to explain where?" Faith asked.

"You'll see when we get there, now won't ya?"

The slayer furrowed her brow and moved into the house, taking the keys off the hanger by the back door. She then went into the living room. "Little D wants to go somewhere, so I'm playin' taxi in the Jeep. Just wanted to let you ladies know."

Tara and Willow both nodded. "Drive safe." Tara offered.

"You need anything while I'm out?" Faith asked.

"If you wanna pick up a couple bags of hamburger buns, I can m-make burgers tonight. We've got everything for it." Tara said.

"Oh, that's sounds good." Faith returned. "I can stop by my place and pick up the bacon I have. Make it a party."

Willow nodded her head. "I like bacon."

"I thought you were Jewish, Red. Isn't it like sacrilege for you to eat pork or something?"

"I'm Jewish-ish?" She said, giving her a weak smile. At Faith's chuckle, she sighed. "I'm as Jewish as I need to be. I don't see any god damning me to eternal torment because I have bacon on a cheeseburger or sausage with my Grand Slam Breakfast." She pouted. "Besides, I've worked up a lot of good karma over the years. I deserve a little bit of leeway."

"You're cute when you pout." Faith said. "I'll be back with the squirt in a bit." She disappeared into the kitchen.

The pair of witches heard the garage door squeal shut and the Jeep fire up. Tara looked down at Willow. "C-can I ask you a qu-question?" The redhead looked up at her and nodded. "If you had the chance with her, w-would you?"

"Would I what?" Willow asked. She sat up and looked at her girlfriend. "Oh, no. Tara. I love _you_. I'm not attracted to Faith, I…"

Tara giggled. "I know you'd never cheat on me, Willow. I'm not worried about that. I'm just wondering if you think Faith is pretty." She took the girl's hands. "I do."

"You think she's…?" Willow was somewhat taken aback by that. "Have you thought about…being with her?"

Tara nodded. "I'd never do anything with her…" She bit her lip and stared into Willow's eyes. "Without you with me."

Willow was rendered speechless. "Are you suggesting that…with you, me and Faith?" Her eyebrows shot up. "Together?"

"You already know Faith would be up for it." Tara said, simply. "The past few days she's been checking the both of us out."

"But remember what Spike said." Willow offered. "They…did it." She shuddered. "As much as I like Spike…eww."

"He saved her life, Willow. Faith has a belief that the only reward she can offer someone is her body." Tara lowered her eyes. "We've talked a lot. She told me that the reason she slept with Xander was because it was the only way she had to say thank you." She shook her head. "She seems to think that she has to give herself up physically and sexually to repay any act of kindness."

Willow nodded. She'd talked to Xander after they'd done the deed and he said that he thought as much. Despite the fact that everyone said that, for Faith, what they shared never meant anything, deep down, he knew that wasn't true. He'd shown Willow a letter he got, after Faith had been in prison for a little over six months, that explained why she'd done what she'd done.

The letter said, outright that what they shared meant the world to her. That he'd given her something no woman would ever get to have. He'd let her be his first and that stayed with her. She threw him out so harshly, because she could tell that he was a good, honest man and she couldn't bring herself to get attached to anyone again. She was too scared of being hurt. She begged for his forgiveness and hoped to be able to make it up to him some day. She found it strange that no one, not even Angel received a letter from her when she was locked up.

"What are you thinking about?" Tara asked.

"I don't know if I should say anything or not, but…" She looked at her lover and sighed. "Xander got a letter from her when she was in jail. She pretty much admitted what you just said."

Tara nodded. "I like her, Willow. And I can tell when she's around you that she has the same effect on you."

"I-I don't…"

Tara put her finger to Willow's lips to shush her. "It's okay. It's a natural reaction. You have the same exact reaction to me." She offered with a smile. "I'm not mad. I'm not jealous. I'm actually a little relieved. She's a very pretty girl. There's no shame in it."

"But Tara…" Willow said. "This is Faith we're talking about. The get some, get gone, girl."

"That was then, Willow. This is now." Tara said, simply. "Look at the past couple of weeks. Faith has been here pretty much the entire time. She had sex with Spike, once. That was literally the night after the demon bikers attacked. She hasn't even gone to the Bronze. She's always here to make sure Dawn is up and gives her a ride to school. She spends the days either here, helping with housework or at the Magic Box training. She picks Dawn up from school and takes her out for a milkshake before bringing her home. She only goes home to shower and sleep. And in the past week, she's spent at least three nights over here." The blonde shook her head. "She's not taking any time for herself. You said that when she came to town, she was a loner. Always doing her own thing. Now she never lets us out of her sight."

Willow had to admit that Tara had a point. Faith was always around. "Maybe…" She was surprised she was about to say this, but should couldn't stop herself. "Maybe we should invite her to move in here."

That shocked Tara. "I wasn't thinking…"

"No, it makes sense. We keep Bu…the spare room made up for her, anyway. She keeps clothes here. Why not just ask her to move in? I'm sure Dawn would like having her here." She motioned to the garage. "She already has her car and that old army motorcycle parked in the garage."

Tara thought about it. "You're right. We could talk to her about it tonight, if you want."

Willow nodded. "I think we should. Show her that we truly forgive her and that we want to do things right this time."

Tara gave her a lascivious smile. "You know…" She pulled her girlfriend in and kissed her. "You never did answer my question."

Willow's eyes were closed. "What question is that?"

"If you had a chance with Faith, would you?"

The redhead opened her eyes and stared into Tara's baby blues. "I _am_ the one suggesting she move in, now aren't I?"

Faith drove along in the Jeep. "So D. Where we goin'?"

"The bank." The teen said. "I gotta pull out some cash." She put her arm up on the edge of the window.

Faith nodded and pulled up to a stop light. She was shocked with how quickly the damage the biker boys did was cleared up. The hulks of the smashed and burned out cars had been cleared from the streets. The wife of the man who owned the Peterbilt she'd used thanked her for looking after it. Faith even drove it a hundred and ten miles east to the property they owned before grabbing a bus back to Sunnydale. She never asked for anything from the woman. Didn't even know her name.

They drove into the parking lot and came to a stop. Faith followed Dawn into the small building, nodding politely to the armed security guard as they walked past. They moved into the line and stood, waiting for their turn. "What did you need the cash for, anyway? And why couldn't you get it from the ATM outside?"

"I need a cashier's check." Dawn said.

"What do you need a cashier's check for?" Faith asked, crossing her arms and staring around the room.

"Gotta give it to someone to pay for something." Dawn said. "I cleared it with Giles this morning."

Faith shrugged. She didn't really care, she was just making conversation. "God, I hate waiting in lines."

Dawn shrugged. "Necessary evil." She turned to Faith. "Can you…slay lines?"

Faith looked at the several people in front of Dawn. "If I wanted to go back to prison." A sudden ear-shattering roar and the crash of the huge glass doors in the front of the building stole everyone's attention. A beast, easily cresting the seven foot mark leapt in, grabbing a random bank worker and hurling him through a glass partition. She found it funny that he was wearing a nice red leather jacket, a black t-shirt, a pair or really nice pair of Levi's and some exquisite Lugz. "Him, on the other hand." Faith said, grinning. "Don't move!" She said to Dawn. The girl nodded.

The demon was roaring and screaming, tossing people about and generally making a nuisance of himself.

"Hey!" She said, walking up to him. She snatched one of the metal posts that held the guide straps that formed waiting area and lifted it, spinning it around. "If you wanna make a withdrawal…" He lunged at her, swinging a huge meaty fist. She ducked beneath it and caught him in the ribs with the post sending him flying across the room to smash into the wall. "You gotta fill out a slip, first."

He rose to his feet and growled, running at her. She took two steps and dropped to a crouch, hurling the post at his feet. The brass stand cracked against his shins and caused him to tumble forward. She jumped and landed a foot in his chest, hurling him back to the ground. She jumped onto his chest and began pummeling him. He recovered enough to punch her in the face, knocking her off of him. She rolled to her feet and took off after him. The demon quickly grabbed the guard and threw him at her. She caught him and set him down. When she turned back to the door, the demon was gone. "Dammit." She said, shaking her head.

Dawn stayed where she was and turned back to the counter. Faith came up beside her, setting the post back where it was when she moved past. "Huh." The slayer said, following Dawn up to the counter. "That was fast."

The teen smiled and looked at the woman. "I'd like to make a withdrawal in the form of a cashier's check, please." Dawn slid the slip along with her ID under the window.

The teller was terrified. "Um…" She said, looking around, scared out of her mind. "We-we're closing for the day."

Dawn frowned. "Look. Just print the stupid check. It's not that hard."

"I think…" The teller began, taking the ID in her trembling hands.

"Look, lady." Faith said, pointing to her split lip. "I just got punched by a fucking demon in your lobby. If you don't want a high priced lawyer crawling so far up your asses you'll puke legal text, I strongly suggest you give my friend her damn check."

"Just cut the damn check, Celia." A man shouted from further down the counter. "We don't need another scene." He was tall with a bald head and glasses. "Sorry, ladies."

The woman typed into her system, got Dawn's signature and handed the girl an envelope with the check inside. "W-will that be all?" She asked, her voice trembling.

"That'll do." Dawn said, taking her ID and putting back in her wallet. "Thank you." She turned and walked with Faith out of the bank. "You okay?" She asked the slayer.

"Yeah." She said, turning and looking at the destruction. "Just wondering what a demon was doing in a bank."

"Oh, I know this one." Dawn said. "To get a loan, to buy a motorcycle to get to the other side."

Faith raised an eyebrow. "Wow. That was painful."

"You really didn't give me a lot to work with." The girl said, climbing into the Jeep and fastening her seat belt.

Faith sat behind the wheel and stared at the building. "Still…" She shook her head. "Was he after money?"

Dawn shook her head. "I couldn't tell you."

"Please." Faith said looking at the girl. "Sad as this is to say, you've probably got more demon hunting chops than I do right now. You've clocked nearly as much field time."

Dawn grinned. "I clocked field time."

"I need to talk to Tweed." Faith said, firing up the rig. "Something about this is hinky."

"Well, before you do…" Dawn offered her the envelope. "Here."

Faith looked at it and back to the teen. She then took it. "What's this?"

"It's the cashier's check I just got. It's for you." Dawn said, smiling.

Faith opened it and looked at it. "Fifteen thousand dollars?" She lifted her eyebrows. "No." She shook her head and handed it back. "I can't take this, D."

"Any particular reason why?"

"Yeah. Because your sister risked her damn life for this money. She had to fucking die for you to have it. I got my own money." Faith said. "I'm not gonna take this from you."

"Yeah, you are." Dawn said. "You're gonna take it because you're my friend. You're gonna take it because friends help friends out. You're gonna take it because your car needs fixed and you're not gonna be able to pay to have it fixed for a really long time with your budget." Dawn blushed. "And because I wanna do something nice for you."

Faith just stared at her. "If that's really what you want. But just so you know, I'm gonna pay every dime of this back."

"Not with money." Dawn said. "You're gonna teach me to fight. Teach me to be like Xander and Giles. I wanna be able to take care of myself. At ten bucks an hour, I got the worlds baddest personal trainer for the next fifteen hundred hours."

Faith couldn't help but grin. "That's fair." She said, folding the check and putting it in her pocket. "Gonna have to wait a couple of days to cash it, though." She began pulling out of the parking lot. "Looks like bank's gonna be closed."

Dawn giggled as they headed off.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Faith stood at the island in the kitchen slicing tomato for the burgers that Tara was currently in the midst of preparing. She could smell the bacon cooking away in the oven. "Do you want cheese on yours?" Tara asked.

Faith looked at her and nodded. "Please." She said, moving to the half head of lettuce. "You don't mind if I just shred the lettuce instead of trying to leaf it, do you?"

Tara shook her head. "Nope." She said. "I'm not picky with my produce."

"Cool." The slayer spun the knife in her hand and quickly diced her way through, scooping it up with the knife and tossing it into a bowl. She rinsed her blade, dried it on a hand town and set it in drain rack. She likewise cleaned her cutting board and put it in beside the knife. Looking at the fixin's, she was happy with the spread. She was surprised that Dawn had wanted onions for her burgers.

"How many did you w-want sweetie?" Tara asked.

"Depends. What do we have to go with it?" Faith asked.

"Me and Willow made potato salad." Tara said. She looked at Faith, and off of her look, pulled the bowl from the fridge. "Here." She said, taking a spoon and scooping some out. When Faith leaned in, Tara pulled the spoon back and offered it to her. "Please, for the love of god, don't do the tongue thing."

Faith lifted her eyebrow. "Tongue thing?"

Tara blushed. "It's embarrassing. Just…take the damn bite."

Faith shrugged. "Okay." She stuck the spoon in her mouth and chewed slowly. "Not bad. Little on the sweet side for me. I can tell you used sweet relish and…is that salad dressing?"

Tara nodded. "It's off brand Miracle Whip." She shrugged. "It's just so damned expensive."

"Hey, I hear you." Faith said, nodding. "I can always add a little salt to mine. But overall, that's a pretty good potato salad."

"Have you ever made it before?" Tara asked.

"When I was on the inside working in the kitchens, I had to put it together. I usually used regular mayo with some mustard and dill pickle juice. I did add some sweet relish to cut the tartness of the mustard and juice. Girls seemed to like it okay."

"I'll let you make it next time. This is how my mom used to make it." Tara said, putting the plastic wrap back over it.

"There's just as many recipes as there are meatloaf recipes. No one does it the same way. I've actually always wanted to make it out of red potatoes." Faith offered. She grabbed some plates down from the cupboard and carried them out to the table, setting places for everyone. She then began carrying the veggies in to set up the assembly line.

Dawn came thundering down the stairs, and bobbing into the kitchen. "I smell yummy bacon and cheeseburger goodness."

"They're almost done." Tara said, pulling the patties out of the pan and placing them on a large platter. She put two more in the pan. "This should be just about it." She put the lid on the skillet and knelt to check the bacon. "Perfect." She said, smiling. She grabbed a pair of potholders and removed the broiler pan, setting it on a hot pad on the island.

"Anything I can do to help?" Dawn asked.

"If you wanna get a plate down and line it with paper towels then pull the bacon off the pan with those tongs there, that would be lovely." Tara said.

"Sure." The teen said, following the instructions the blonde had laid out. She smiled at Faith as she walked in.

"Hey, little D. Get your homework done?"

"Yeah. Wasn't that bad." She said, shrugging.

"Cool." The slayer said, taking the two liters of soda out to put them on the table. "How much longer, there, T-bear?"

"About five or six minutes." She said, flipping the patties over.

Faith nodded and grabbed the huge bowl of potato salad out of the fridge along with an armload of condiments. She carried it all into the dining room and put it on the table. Willow came in from the living room, sighing.

"What's the matter, Red." Faith asked. "You look beat."

"I'm trying to reprogram the Buffybot." Willow returned. "It's just rough going. She was original Spike's sex-bot." She shuddered. "I've got a lot of that out of her system, but whenever she gets severely damaged her algorithms kind of…run home to mommy."

"A lot of talkin' about bleach's washboard abs and shapely butt?" Faith asked.

"Yeah. And it gets real old, real quick." Willow said, frowning.

"Well, in double B's defense…" Faith began.

"Never…tell me." Willow said. "Never." She walked over and poked Faith in the stomach playfully. "You hear me slayer?"

"Yes, ma'am." Faith said, snapping a salute. "But if you're gonna poke me, why not do it a little lower?" She bobbed her eyebrows.

Willow stared into her eyes and giggled. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Of course I would. You're girlfriend would get a taste, too. There's plenty of Faith to go around." The slayer said, smacking Willow's butt before trotting into the kitchen.

"Hands!" The witch said, rubbing her bottom, and following the girl in.

"What are you two doing out there?" Tara asked as she finished up with the meat. She turned the burner off and placed two slices of cheese on the burgers, setting the lid back on for a couple of minutes.

"Just givin' your girl a hard time." Faith said, leaning against the counter.

Tara looked at her smiling. "Y-you're a little too light in the trousers to do that." The response got a surprised look from everyone.

"Tara!" Willow said, blushing.

Dawn just giggled.

Faith raised an eyebrow. "And I thought _you_ were the shy one."

Tara shrugged. "I'm not as shy when I'm around people I'm comfortable with." The girl said, softly.

Faith stared at her a moment. "I'm glad you can be comfortable around me." She looked to Willow. "Sorry if I violated your bubble there, Red."

The redhead smiled and waved a dismissive hand. "I'm just flattered you noticed that I even have a butt."

Dawn sighed and rolled her eyes. "Get a room." She said, carrying the plate of bacon into the dining room.

"Gonna have to find one with a huge bed." Faith said. "The tiny ass twin in the room I sleep in isn't gonna cover it."

"Ours is a king." Willow said. When Faith whirled on her, she giggled. "My, that was forward, wasn't it?" She then turned and walked into the dining room with a stack of cups.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say Red just hit on me." Faith said, looking at Tara.

"That's what it sounded like." The blonde said, pulling the patties form the skillet. She took it and filled it with hot water before setting it on the counter.

"Okay, T-bear all the joking aside…" Faith began.

The girl lifted the platter and made her way past the slayer. "Come on. We don't want the burgers getting cold." She said, with a wide grin. "Grab the buns from the island would you?" She asked.

Faith took both packages and carried them into the dining room. She dropped them on the table and took her seat across from Willow. Dawn sat beside Faith and Tara was to Willow's right, and her left at the head of the table. She looked at Tara with a raised eyebrow. She and Willow both shared the same little knowing smirk. Dawn, however was elbow deep in making her hamburgers. She shook her head and likewise prepped hers. She was a girl that liked everything on her burgers. Lettuce, tomato, onions and pickles. She was nice and kept the bacon to a minimum. She slathered her bread with mayo, ketchup and mustard and nodded. She took her first bite and closed her eyes, moaning. "God, that's good."

"I've never seen someone so pleased to eat a cheeseburger." Dawn said, giggling.

"Spend a year and change with a turbo metabolism living off something that would make an anorexic whine." Faith said, taking another bite.

"Was it really that bad?" Willow asked.

Faith shook her head. "Not really. The meals were pretty balanced, to be honest with you. One of the reasons I worked in the kitchens in the mornings. You could eat pretty much whatever you wanted it. It was nice."

"Where did you work at all told?" Tara asked as she took a ginger bite of her own burger.

"I did a stint in the laundry. That's usually where they put the new fish. It's hot, it's crappily ventilated and smells like bleach all the damn time. Did that for about a month then got moved to the motor pool. Spent my time working on the prison buses and vans and shit." Faith thought a moment. "Did that for a couple months in the mornings and started working the library in the afternoons. After that I worked the kitchens from four in the morning until noon and kept working in the library until lights out."

"Didn't you get any time off?" Willow asked her.

"I put in about three hours a day in the yard. Usually just worked out. On the weekends they brought in a Krav Maga instructor. She was pretty cool. After working in the kitchens I could have had the rest of the day in the tank, but I volunteered for the library. It was quieter, less people and no one really came in there to start trouble."

"I don't understand why you didn't just break out." Dawn said. "I mean, you're a slayer. You could have gotten out anytime you wanted to."

Faith nodded. "Yeah, I probably could have. But here's the thing, kid. I needed to be there. I needed to have the time and relative safety to deal with my shit. Yeah, I got most of it figured out, but I still got some issues. Besides that, being in jail was where B wanted me. I did it for her." She lowered her eyes and tried really hard not to cry. "I…I always held out the hope that maybe, just maybe when and if I ever got out, she and I could try it again. Be friends, I mean. We never really clicked before. Maybe for a little while, but…" She shook her head.

Willow reached over and took hold of her hand. Tara rested a hand on her arm. "She asked you to look out for all of us." The blonde said.

Willow nodded. "She wouldn't have asked if she didn't trust you. Dead or alive, I think it's safe to say Buffy considers you a friend, Faith."

"Funny thing happened the first night I stayed over here. I was gettin' ready for bed when…" She bit her lip. "It's kinda strange, you know?"

"What happened?" Willow asked.

"The radio on the dresser came on by itself and played _Nothing Else Matters_."

"Metallica?" Dawn asked. She chuckled. "That's you, alright."

"Then the radio just powered off. B knows it's one of my favorite songs." Faith said. "It was just strange."

Willow smiled. "When I was in the kitchen, just before I called to invite you over for dinner that first night, the radio in there came on and played _Heaven_ by Brian Adams. I know Buffy really liked that song."

Dawn shrugged. "The radio in my room has done that at least a dozen times since Buffy died. Last night it played _Don't Worry, Be Happy_. I know it was Buffy because she knows I can't stand that song."

Faith chuckled. "Yeah, that definitely sounds like B."

"So we know Buffy is still looking out for us, in her own way." Tara said. "I think she'll always be there, just making sure we're all doing okay."

Faith nodded, looking around. "It's nice to know."

"So, Faith…" Willow said, looking at Tara and nodding.

"What?" The slayer asked, chowing through another burger.

"Tara and I discussed something earlier today."

Faith lifted her eyebrow. "Really?"

The blonde nodded. "Keep in mind, this is only when you're ready, okay?" As the brunette nodded in return, she continued. "You've been a huge help around here. Making sure Dawnie is up and ready for school. Giving her rides to and from and just being there for her. You help out with the housework and given that you've spent the half the past week here…" She bit her lip a moment then smiled. "We were wondering if you'd like to move in? If the room you have isn't large enough, we can talk to Xander about building a little apartment downstairs in the basement."

Faith was shocked by the question. "You serious?" As the girls both nodded, she looked at Dawn. "What do you think?"

"I think it would be awesome." She said, happily. "I'd love to have you around."

Faith sighed and rubbed her face with her hands. "I gotta admit, I'm surprised you guys asked." She looked at them both. "Look. I appreciate the offer, I really do. But I'm just not sure I'm ready for that, yet. I just spent the past year and a half locked up with a bunch of chicks. I'd like a little while just to have some freedom. I mean, I know you're right. I'm here more than I'm home, but…"

"You like having the option." Willow said, smiling. "We know. That's why we wanted to make the invitation and let you know the door is always open."

Faith grinned widely. "I really do appreciate the offer."

"You're welcome, Faith." Tara said. Willow nodded. The redhead was about to speak when she was cut off…

By the front door of the house exploding inward. A hail of shrapnel and wood flew into the house.

Tara, Willow and Dawn screamed in surprise. Faith shot to her feet and leapt, taking a step into the middle of the table, careful not to put her foot in anything and ran headlong at the demon that stormed into the home. She recognized him from the bank earlier in the day.

"Slayer." He snarled, moving toward her.

"This party's invitation only, ass-hat. And I didn't see your name on the guest list." Faith said, flying into a jump-kick.

The demon was ready for her and gripped her outstretched leg with his massive right hand and planted his other on her ribs. He spun and hurled her across the living room.

Faith nearly collided with the wall, when she felt herself stop suddenly and lower gingerly to the floor. She turned to see Tara and Willow holding hands with their other outstretched toward her.

The demon saw the display and turned back to the witches. "Magic users, huh?" He roared and ran at them. He took a few steps and slammed into a resilient magical barricade that was like hitting an iron wall. He pummeled on the barrier trying to fight his way through it.

"Psst. Faith!" Dawn snapped from the kitchen. "Here."

Faith turned to see Dawn holding a large butcher knife. The girl slid it across the floor. The slayer snagged it up and nodded, then turned back to the demon. "Hey, asshole. Let's try this again."

He whirled to see her coming at him. He didn't see the knife as she had it tucked in ice-fashion against her forearm. As he came in, she ducked below his huge fist, dragging the knife across the back of his knee as she rolled past. He staggered and fell to his knees.

Faith came up behind him and jammed the knife down into the side of his neck. Blood shot like a geyser into the air. She then gripped his head and pulled it back, slicing his throat down to the bone.

He gurgled and rasped as he fell to the floor, dead.

"That was…unpleasant." Tara said, stepping forward. "A-any idea what this thing is?"

Faith knelt and looked at him. She turned his head and furrowed her brow. "I think…I think I've seen one before."

"He was at the bank." Dawn said, eating one of her burgers.

"D, get a plate. You're dripping ketchup and mustard on the carpet." Faith said, not looking up. The teen nodded and went in, bringing her plate out. "That's not what I meant. My Watcher, D had a book that had something like him in there." Faith stood. "Any way of getting rid of this thing?"

Willow and Tara nodded. "W-we can do it." The blonde said. "What are you g-gonna do?"

"I'm gonna talk to tweed. See about figuring out what our friend here is." Faith said. "Little D, you're with me. You two see about getting him taken care of and call Xander. See if you can get him over here to fix that door. I saw one downstairs in the basement. See what he can do with it."

Faith left, taking Dawn with her. Willow and Tara looked at each other and down at the demon. Again they took each other's hand and began casting.

"Thanks for bringing me along." Dawn said, happily as they climbed into the Jeep.

"No sweat. Figured you'd be good at looking this kind of shit up." Faith said, backing out of the driveway. "You okay?"

The teen nodded. "I just hope Tara and Willow put the food back in the fridge. I'm gonna want another burger when I get home."

Faith chuckled. "I mean about what you saw back there, squirt. Me killin' that demon. That didn't freak you out, did it?"

"Not really. I mean, it was a little gruesome, I'm not gonna lie…but you're talking to a girl that actually likes the Hostel and Saw movies. Compared to that, what you guys do isn't even remotely disturbing."

Faith nodded. "Good. Because if I'm gonna teach you to fight, we're going all in. I'm gonna outfit you in body armor, make sure you're up on all your standard weapons and hand to hand combat. I also want you to start working with the Cast-a-lot twins to give you some mojo. I'm also gonna talk to tweed about you being his backup on research and what have you."

Dawn just stared at her. "You mean…?"

"Xander's been doing it for almost five years and I've seen him lay it down pretty good. No reason you can't be just as nasty. That and maybe we could see about getting you set up as a full time Watcher sometime in the future."

Dawn was dumbfounded. "That would be kind of cool, actually."

"Good. You're taking your first steps today. We find out what that thing was and we find out exactly why it came after us."

The girl nodded. She was ecstatic. Buffy tried as hard as she could to keep the teen away from the supernatural. Faith was doing the exact opposite. She was expecting the younger Summers girl to jump into the fight full stop.

"Call tweed, find out where he is." Faith said.

Dawn pulled her cellphone out and dialed Giles' apartment first. When she got no answer, she tried the Magic Box.

"Hello?" Giles answered his voice a tad weary.

"Hey, it's Dawn. Faith and I are on our way there." She lowered the phone. "Magic Box." She said to Faith before bringing the phone back up to her ear.

"What happened?" Giles asked, pulling his glasses off.

"Some demon decided to crash our dinner party. We're gonna try and figure out what he was and why he was after Faith."

"Well, that second one is rather easy. She's the slayer." Giles said. "But finding out what he was might be a good idea."

"That's what Faith thought. It was the same demon that was attacking the bank earlier today. Faith kicked his butt and sent him packing. Maybe he just wanted to even the score."

"That doesn't explain how he ascertained her location." Giles said. "Interesting."

"We'll be there in a few minutes." Dawn said. "See you then." She ended the call. "He's kind of puzzled as to why the demon knew you were at our place."

Faith furrowed her brow. She hadn't thought of that. "I'm making a detour." She slid the Jeep into a sideways turn and gunned it, heading toward her apartment. "I just got the place fixed up, I am gonna be so pissed if he trashed my pad."

"Give you a good reason to move in with us." Dawn said, cheesing.

"Silver lining, huh?" Faith said, skidding to a stop in front of her building. "Be right back."

"I'm not staying in the car with demons hunting after you." She pulled the seatbelt off and ran after Faith. All of the running she's had to do in the past year, she found that she was actually in pretty good shape. They cleared the stairs and made it to Faith's door.

The slayer sighed heavily. The door was partially open. She pushed it the rest of the way and stepped into her completely destroyed apartment. "Motherfucker." She said, sadly. The furniture was smashed to splinters. There we holes in the walls and most of her possessions were strewn about the floor.

Dawn put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry." She said, her voice soft. "Maybe Xander can help get this taken care of."

"Even if he could, I can't afford to buy the materials to do it." Faith said, moving through the small condo. She turned to Dawn. "And no, I'm not letting you pay for this."

"I would…"

"I know you would. You'd bankrupt yourself to do it, too." Faith shook her head. "But I ain't lettin' ya."

"Well, at least your entertainment center is unscathed." Dawn said, shrugging. "Is that a fifty inch plasma screen?"

Faith didn't even bother looking. She just began picking up her clothes and things. "Fifty five inch Panasonic. Watcher's council bought me that when they refurnished the place."

Dawn was looking over the accoutrements. "They buy all this for you?"

"Yeah. They wanted to make sure I was comfortable."

"PS3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii…Jesus, they spoiled the shit out of you." Dawn said, taking it all in. "Didn't do you much for games though."

"I can pick those up later. This town actually has a pretty good used game shop." Faith managed to get all her clothes in her duffel. "I'll come back with Xan and get everything else later."

"We should take the electronics." Dawn said, grinning. "On account of, you know, someone stealing it or…something."

Faith couldn't help but chuckle. "And there's plenty of room in the Jeep, right?"

"Yeah." Dawn took the bag from the girl's hand. "I'll go and lay the seats down and get it all opened. I'll also call Giles and let him know we're gonna be a little late."

"No, I got this." Faith said. "Why don't I just drive you to the Magic Box so you and G man can get started on finding that demon. I'll get all my shit moved over to your place and catch up with you guys later."

"You shouldn't have to do this alone." Dawn said.

"Nah, it's all good. Strangely, this doesn't really bother me all that bad. I actually feel better stayin' at your place anyway. It's just…more like home, you know?"

"Hey, maybe you might be able to sell this place." Dawn offered. "It's still gotta be worth something."

"Few grand, maybe." Faith said, looking around. "And it's a bad reminder. I mean the Mayor gave me this. As much as he seemed to care about me, he was using me just like everyone else did. This was just his way of telling me how effective a tool I was." She sighed. "No, I'll be glad to be out of this place, now that I think about it."

Dawn moved over and hugged her. "I can walk to the Magic Box. It's actually not that far. Like eight blocks or so. I'll hurry to make sure I'm there before dark."

Faith nodded. "Alright. Be careful." The teen nodded and trotted out of the apartment. She pulled her phone out and dialed the house.

"Hello?" Willow answered.

"Hey, Red. It looks like I'm gonna be takin' you and T-bear up on your offer." She sat on the broken down sofa.

"Oh?" Willow said, looking at her girlfriend. "Why the change of heart?"

"Well…let's just say that your place wasn't our demon friend's first stop."

"Oh, no. Your condo?"

"Yeah. He trashed the place. I think he actually did more damage than me and B did. He was pretty thorough, to be honest. Left my electronics alone, though. So there's a plus side."

"Did you need some help?" Willow asked her. "Me and Tara can catch a cab over there to help."

Faith bit her lip and thought about it. She could handle it on her own, she really could. But she also knew that by accepting the help the girls were offering would make them both feel a lot better. "I could swing by in the Jeep with a quick load and pick you guys up." Faith counter-offered. "No reason to make you spend money."

Willow smiled. "That'll work. We'll be ready."

"Be there in a few." Faith said, ending the call. She took her large duffel and set it by the door. She then went through her fridge and cupboards, pulling out all the food she'd recently bought, putting it into boxes. She carried it all down to the rig and packed it into the back. She slid in and pulled away from the curb, heading for her new home.

She couldn't help but smile.

It was just a little past ten at night when the trio of girls got all of Faith's belongings to the Summers house. Faith decided to leave her massive plasma screen in the living room and take the 36 inch TV up to the room she would be using.

"We can just leave the surround sound down here." Faith said, wiping her brow. "I don't think I'll need that much sound in a room that small."

"If you w-wanted to get to the Magic Box, w-we can put everything away." Tara said, softly.

"And I can get this all wired up." Willow offered, motioning to the electronics.

"You can hook the consoles up down here, too if you like." Faith said to the girls.

"Okay." Willow said. She pulled Faith in for a quick kiss on the lips. "Be safe."

Before the brunette slayer could say anything, Tara likewise kissed her. "And be careful." With that, the blonde moved into the kitchen to put the groceries away. Willow dropped down to the floor and began connecting everything. Faith reached up and touched her lips lightly.

She left the house with a smile on her face and a bit of a spring in her step. When she arrived at the Magic Box, she was still feeling pretty chipper. She didn't know exactly how living with the three girls would play out, but she found that she kind of craved the company. She'd been alone for so long that having people around her that liked her for her and actually cared was just…it was a great feeling.

Something she could definitely get used to. She pulled the front door open and was serenaded with _Don't Fear the Reaper_ by Blue Oyster Cult. "Ooh, good jam." She said, immediately bobbing her head to the music. She looked over to Giles as she was dancing along. "Never let it be said that you didn't have good taste in music, G."

He smiled and pulled his glasses off. "Um, yes well…thank you."

Dawn sat at the table, reading an open book. She looked up at Faith. "It's my mix CD."

"Really? You dig on this old school rock?" The slayer asked.

"I like all kinds of music. Despite what most people might think, I actually can't stand any of the new bubblegum BS." She thumbed toward the shelf system. "This is the good stuff."

"Nice. So any luck identifying our culprit?" Faith asked, sitting on the edge of the table.

"I managed to narrow it down to two." Dawn said. "There's this guy, but the face didn't seem quite right."

Faith looked at it. "Nope. That's a Qualtiri. They're underworld loan sharks. They only work for pure gold. And given how rare one hundred percent pure gold actually is? Fat chance that's our boy."

Giles looked at her. "I'm impressed."

"I've roughed through some of Diana's books. She had this one." Faith said. "Who's our second contestant?"

Dawn flipped a few pages. "This guy." She turned the book around. "That him?"

"Yeah. The…" Faith shook her head. "No idea what the name is."

"The M'Fashnik." Giles offered, nodding.

"Like Mmm, cookies." Dawn said, happy to have been of help.

Giles looked at her. "Uh, no, quite different, actually."

Faith chuckled, reading the entry. "Friend of yours?" She looked to Dawn, winking at her.

"No. But they do have a fearsome reputation. They, they come from a long line of mercenary demons that perform acts of slaughter and mayhem for the highest bidder." Giles pulled his glasses off and massaged the bridge of his nose.

Faith grinned. "Well, it is the American way. Finally a demon that _will_ fuck you over for a percentage."

Giles shook his head, sighing. "Yes, but, uh, the question now becomes, what's out there powerful enough to control one of these things?"

"Couldn't tell you." Faith said. "But I know that whoever it is, suddenly has a serious hard on for me. Just have to keep my ears and eyes open."

"I heard about your apartment. I'm sorry."

Faith shrugged. "You know…fresh start should mean a new place to start from, you know? Not going back somewhere that's full of nothing but bad memories."

Giles smiled at her. "Quite. And I think both Buffy and Joyce would be thrilled with you being there for Dawn." He hugged her. "I'm very, very proud of you."

Faith returned the embrace. She felt good. Better than she had in a long time. "Come on, D. Let's go home."

Giles watched the pair go and couldn't help but notice the marked change in the girl. And it was definitely a change for the better.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note: **This point was brought up by the last reviewer and I thought I should clarify. The original 6th season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer aired in 2001-2002. You've no doubt noticed that some of the technology I reference didn't appear until much later. My story, while following the canon (for the most part) begins in fall of 2013.

It may not be a big deal to most, but it is to some.

As always, read and enjoy.

**Chapter 12**

Faith stood and squared off with the heavy bag. "It's about balance. You want it. You want them not to have it." She took a step and planted her foot directly into the bag, extending her leg fully, causing it to swing violently. She caught it as it came back toward her. She turned and looked at Dawn. "Alright. Your turn."

The slender brunette teen padded over on bare tape-wrapped feet and stood as Faith had shown her. Her left foot was forward and her right foot was back. "Like this?"

Faith nodded. She centered the girl's hips. "Good stance. Now you wanna bring your foot forward into the kick. Make sure it hits dead center." She watched as the girl slowly brought her leg up, mimicking what the slayer did. "Now lean your upper body back." She placed her hand on Dawn's shoulders. "There. Now push with your leg. This is a good way to get as much distance between you and your opponent as possible. Give you a break and get them off balance." Dawn did as she was told, causing the bag to swing away from her a bit.

"It didn't go anywhere near as far as yours." The teen said, sadly.

"Well, no. But I'm a slayer. I should be stronger. But that wasn't bad for a first outing." Faith backed off. "Go ahead and give me ten of those."

Dawn stood and exhaled. She counted them off as she did them. Each time, her foot hit the bag just right. She had quite a bit of leg strength and it showed with how far the bag swung. When she hit ten, she was breathing a little heavy. "That was okay, right?"

"That was perfect. We gotta work on your speed, though. But you got a good baseline." Faith moved over and gripped the bag, holding it. "Give me a left-right combo and a round kick." She held her fists up, boxing style and delivered a punishing left and right jab and hit with a hard kick. "This is just a quick and dirty way to do some damage. Easy to learn and damn effective."

Dawn moved up and punched…like a typical teenage girl.

"Okay, okay. That's not gonna cut it, squirt." Faith said. She took Dawn's hand. "First things first. Making a fist. Thumb goes underneath." She lifted her own hand. "Like this." When Dawn got it, she nodded. "Alright. When striking with a jab, you don't wanna bring your arm back. That's called telegraphing. A good opponent can capitalize on that and take you apart." She got into her stance again. "Watch me." She slowly brought her left hand forward. "All punches should start at the center. You put your weight into it. Let momentum help the punch. Follow me." She threw her hip into the strike, rolling the force up her body to her left hand.

Dawn for her part, paid rapt attention. She wanted to be able to fend for herself. She was tired of being the youngest and weakest of the group. She figured if anyone could get her up to snuff, it would be Faith. She took the girl's lessons to heart. For the past week, Faith had been having her jog everywhere. Running was the best way to get in shape. She also strength trained in the morning. Just a quick thirty minute regimen that worked her muscle groups. She was constantly sore and almost perpetually fatigued, but she also understood the necessity of it.

Faith watched the girl pound on the bag. She smiled widely. She could see a lot of Buffy in the girl's movements. Dawn had the same natural grace that her sister had. And she was a very fast learner. "Well, you got a nice jab. Add a kick. Mix things up."

Dawn stepped back and connected with a text book front round kick. The impact smacked hard into the bag. "How was that?"

"Not bad, kid. Not bad at all." Faith held the bag. "Now the other foot." When she saw the kick, she knew immediately that Dawn, like her sister, was a north paw. "You're right handed. We gotta work on that."

"Why does that matter?" Dawn asked.

"Because if I'm gonna train you to fight." Faith said, firing off two round kicks with equally deadly force. "I'm gonna go all the way. I want you to be able to punish with both arms and both legs. Right now, like your big sister, you've got all the power in your right side." Faith walked over and pulled a weight belt off the wall and moved back to her. "Tuck your right arm in, like this." She demonstrated by pulling her arm against her chest. When Dawn did so, Faith looped the belt around her and cinched it snug, but not tight. "Can you breathe okay?"

"Yeah. Feels a little weird, though." The girl said.

"Now you're gonna give me twenty left jabs and twenty left round kicks. Count 'em off." Faith held the bag as Dawn went through the exercise. The strikes were sloppy, but both girls knew that with practice, the natural flow would come. "Alright. We'll do this every day to help you get the hang of it. But I think that's enough for today. Go ahead and do your circuit." Faith said, pointing to the weights. "Then we'll go and grab some Pizza before heading home."

"Ooh, okay." Dawn said, moving to the radio. She put in her workout CD and began doing her sets.

Faith grabbed a small towel and left the workout room in the back of the Magic Box and went out onto the floor, wiping her head. She saw Anya standing behind the counter doing inventory as she always seemed to be. Giles sat at the table reading a book. Faith moved over and sat on the table next to him.

Giles looked up at her. "So how is she doing?"

The slayer looked in through the door, watching the young girl bench press. The girl was barely getting up a hundred pounds. She could see her struggling, but Dawn did it without complaint. "She's got some good groundwork. She's picked up a little bit here and there, but hasn't been taught what to do with it. It'll come." The girl dropped the weight and sat up, looking at her watch. Faith allowed her thirty seconds to rest between stations.

"This is a kind thing, what you're doing." Giles said. He rose to his feet and moved to the door to watch the girl. She was currently squatting.

Faith saw that she was able to get a hundred and seventy five pounds. "She's got the genetics for it."

"So any luck on getting your car repaired?" He asked her. "I know it has some rather significant damage."

"I got the parts on order." Faith said, tossing the towel into the hamper. She sat down and began peeling the tape off her feet and hands. "Pretty much just body damage. I've got new panels and stuff coming. Gonna be a few more days, though." She waited the remaining few minutes as Dawn finished her set. "Nice work, kiddo." She said tossing the girl a towel.

Dawn wiped her face and head and removed the tape from her hands and feet. She was smiling. "I'm just looking forward to lots and lots of Pizza. Can we get some of their cheesy garlic sticks?"

Faith chuckled. "I don't see why not."

As the pair finished getting ready to go, Buffybot rose from behind the counter. "We should get Tara and Willow salads." She said, her voice chipper. "They like salads. And they're healthy. Pizza isn't very healthy."

Faith nodded. "True." She said. "Let's motor. Later, G."

"See you later, Giles." Dawn offered.

Buffy simply smiled and waved, following the pair out of the Magic Box. As soon as Faith cleared the door, she was slammed into by a passing pedestrian. "Hey, watch it, asshole." She snapped.

Dawn gave him a glare and moved to Faith. "Are you okay?"

"Hi Warren." Buffybot said, happily. "He's my creator." She said.

Dawn turned to look at him. Warren stopped and turned back to the trio. "Oh, shit." He suddenly lifted his collar. "Hit it." He said, before turning and running.

"What was that all about?" She turned to see Faith standing motionless. "Faith?" She asked, waving her hand in front of the slayer's eyes. She reached up and tapped the girl in the arm. Faith began, ever so slowly, to stagger sideways. "What the hell?" She looked at Buffybot. "What's happening to her?"

The robot, looking incredibly confused, pointed to Faith's jacket. "What's that?" She asked.

Dawn looked to where the girl was pointing. She saw a small silver disk stuck to the bottom hem of the denim. "I don't know." She took hold of the girl's coat and pulled it off. As soon as she had it in her hand, she lifted it for the Buffybot to look at. "What is it?"

"I don't know." The robot said, looking at Dawn. "What?"

The teen shook her head and dropped it to the ground, stomping on it. As soon as her foot came down, Faith staggered quickly, catching herself. She was rubbing her arm where Dawn touched her. "Christ, that was freaky." She said, looking around. "What the fuck was that?"

"That douchebag Warren put something on your jacket. It made you frozen or something." Dawn offered.

"Warren is my creator." Buffybot offered, chipper.

"Yeah." Faith said. "Caught that." She looked back to Dawn. "It was like everything around me was moving at like, Flash speed. You touching me felt like I got hit by a baseball bat." She flexed her arm and shook it. "What would Warren wanna screw with me for? I don't even know the guy."

"Warren is my…" Buffybot began.

"Say it again, and I'll shut you down and throw you into a recycling bin." Faith said. The robot closed her mouth, but frowned at the slayer. "We know. He built you. But Willow has been maintaining you. And now Warren, for some strange reason, wants to keep screwing with me. That makes him a bad man."

"It does, doesn't it?" Buffybot said. "I don't like him anymore."

"Good. Now we're on the same page." Faith said. "So I…"

"What book are we reading?" Buffybot asked.

Dawn simply groaned and grabbed the robot's arm. "Come on. Let's just get home. We'll get delivery."

Warren Mears climbed into the side of the black van and dropped into the seat. Both Jonathan Levinson and Andrew Wells sat watching the monitors in the tricked out vehicle, trying very hard not to laugh. "How was I supposed to know that she'd have the robot _I built_ right next to her?" He asked, frustrated.

"You should have done more reconnaissance." Andrew said. "So…your score." He leaned back in his chair and looking at Jonathan.

The smaller boy sighed. "Right. Fifty points for ingenuity, another thirty points because it involved actual contact."

Andrew shook his head. "Can't give him that. He was spotted."

Warren raised his finger. "But not by Faith. I was recognized by one of my own creations. She was an element that we thought no longer in play. You can't penalize me for that."

"Oh, we can. But you're right. So…" Jonathan looked to Andrew. "We'll give you half. Fifteen points for the body contact."

Warren shrugged. "Alright, fair enough."

"On the freak-o-meter, I would say she was at a five." Jonathan continued.

"No way. That was an eight, easy. Did you see her face when Dawn touched her and she nearly hit the dirt?" Warren said.

The pair leaned in and discussed it. "We'll give it a six. Which is good for a hundred and twenty, giving you a grand total of…" Jonathan pointed to Andrew.

"One hundred and eighty five."

"Not too shabby." Warren said. "Beat that."

"But, it's minus a hundred points for longevity. You were found out pretty much immediately." Jonathan said.

"What?!" Warren snapped. "Oh, come on!"

"Dude." Andrew began. "You're like, the opening teaser to a Batman: Brave and the Bold episode."

"And you'd be Crazy Quilt." Jonathan added.

Warren glared at him. "Oh, that's low."

"And you're sure it was Warren?" Willow asked as everyone sat about the table, eating Pizza and drinking soda.

Dawn nodded. "It was him. Buffybot recognized him. He turned around and said 'hit it'. After that, Faith was all like moving in super slo-mo."

Faith nodded her agreement. "It was pretty freaky. D here touched me to get my attention and damn near broke my arm. Never had anything like that happen to me."

"W-we need to find him. If he's doing this to you, then he might try something else." Tara said, her voice carrying concern.

"I'm thinking I might wanna put up at a motel or something until we find him." Faith suggested.

"No." All of the girls said in unison.

"Guys, listen. He seems to just have a hard on for me. If I'm not around you guys, then I won't be putting you in danger." She shook her head. "I don't like risking any of you."

"We're your friends, Faith." Willow said. "We're here to look out for you, too. It's not a one way street." She put her hand on the girl's arm and gave her a warm smile. "You're not going anywhere. We'll deal with it." The rest of the girls nodded.

Faith couldn't help but smile. "I guess that answers that."

"A-and we have pie." Tara said. "I made pie."

"What kind of pie?" Dawn asked, happily.

"With you, D it really doesn't matter." Faith said. "You're probably the only person I know that eats as much as I do."

"Hey. I don't like Rhubarb or Minced Meat pie." Dawn said.

"Do you know anyone that does?" Faith asked. She looked at the other two. They scrunched their noses and shook their heads. "Didn't think so."

"It's Dutch Apple." Tara said. "And I made two."

Dawn squeed excitedly. "And we have ice cream."

Faith stood beside her car, removing the ruined fender when her cell phone rang. She reached into her pocket and put it on speaker, before tossing it on the roof. "Go ahead." She said, going back to work.

"Hey, Faith. It's Anya. Are you busy?" She asked.

"A little. I'm pulling…"

"That's great." The woman interrupted. "I need you to do me a favor. I need you to do it since you're not doing anything important. I need you to come by the Magic Box and pick up Xander's lunch and take it to him at his work site. He forgot it this morning and we're going to be very busy at the shop. Thank you." She said, hanging up the phone.

Faith stood there and stared at the phone. "Bitch." She said, somewhat irritated. She looked at her watch. It was just after eleven in the morning. "Dammit." All three of the other girls were at school. She sighed and put the ratchet down and took her phone, sliding it back into her pocket. She moved into the house and washed her hands, before changing her grungy shirt.

She climbed into the Jeep and headed to the Magic Box. She and Anya were going to have a very serious talk about manners. She could see the place was kind of busy. She pushed open the door and walked up to the counter. Anya was working with a customer. She smiled at Faith and reached beneath the desk, handing her the army green lunch box.

Faith was floored. She lifted it and looked at it. It was the high quality metal from back in the day. "You got a minute?" She asked the woman.

"No. I have customers." Anya said. After a moment of Faith glaring at her. Anya frowned. "Go away." She said, shooing the girl.

"Where's his site at?" She asked, defeated. She had to accept that Anya was just being Anya.

"Downtown. The new city hall." Anya said, dismissively.

Faith shook her head and made her way out to the Jeep. "Some days, I hate her." She fired the rig up and headed down to the construction site. In hindsight, she really didn't need directions. It was a rather large open sprawl of heavy equipment, hard hats and rebar. She picked up the lunch box and stepped out of the SUV. She made her way through the site.

"Hey!" One of the guys shouted. She turned to look at him. He tossed her a hard hat.

She caught it and put it on. "Thanks." She said, smiling. She walked over to him. "Tryin' to find Xander Harris. Six foot, two ten. Brown hair. And I just realized I described most of the guys on the site."

"You his girlfriend?" The man asked.

"Nope. Fucked him once, though. A little pissed that he's exclusive, now. Wouldn't mind ridin' that again. Know where I can find him?"

"Talk to Tony. He's the foreman. He's the big guy over there with the safety vest on. Be careful, he's a little bit of a…make that he's a lot of a dick."

"I won't tell him who told me." Faith said, clapping him on the arm. "Thanks." She knocked on her hat and walked toward the honcho. "Excuse me…" Faith said, tapping the man on the shoulder. "I'm looking for…"

"What the hell is this?" He said, looking her up and down. "You're who the temp agency sent me?"

"No, I'm…" Faith tried to stop him.

"Look. We're a week behind, I got two men out on the DL, and now they want us to baby-sit some little girl?" He shook his head. "I can't believe this." He turned his back to her. "Okay, Danny, finish puttin' in those J-boxes. Vince, Marco, I need you to haul the steel inside."

Faith was getting ready to grab Tony again when the burly Hispanic man named Marco piped up. "Gee, I don't know, Tone. I don't wanna get in trouble with those affirmative action lawyers, you know what I'm sayin'? Why don't you put, uh, little Britney here on hauling duty?"

Faith glared at him. "Do I look like a fuckin' Britney to you?" She snapped. "I'm not here to…"

"Okay princess, you're on it." Tony said, looking at her. "Try not to break a nail."

"I'm not from the temp agency, _asshole_." Faith growled at him. She dropped the lunch box and moved over, lifting the three hundred pound I-beam like it was a box of Kleenex. "And you keep pissing me off I'll stuff this whole goddamn thing up your ass." She moved and tossed it aside. "Now, I'm looking for Xander Harris."

Tony watched her in disbelief. "That was…that was incredible."

"Glad you're impressed." Faith said, snidely.

"Look, I'm sorry. I just…you see this is a big project and I need all the help I can get. If you wanna stick around and help us out, I'll make sure you get paid. Three hundred bucks if you can get all that steel inside by two."

Faith saw the three pallets of I-beams and shrugged. "Sure." She said. "But I gotta find Xander first. He forgot his lunch." She held the box up.

"Alright. He's upstairs with the sheetrock guys. You come back down and see me and we'll get you started."

She nodded and made it up to the second floor. Xander stood with a set of blueprints in his hand motioning around to the different sections of the wall. "Keep that section open so we can move between the rooms. We'll hit it last and seal the wall up."

"Hey, bossman." Faith said, smacking his butt as she walked up beside him.

"Jeez." He said, startled. "Faith? What are you doing here?"

"Anya called me. Told me ya forgot your nosh." She offered him the lunch box. "Your boss Tony is a bit of an ass hat. But he offered me three bills to haul a couple pallets of steel for him."

"Bet that's gonna piss the guys off." Xander said. "Thanks for bringing this for me. Would have been a long day without it."

"No problem, big fella." Faith offered. She bit her lip and thought a moment. "You and Anya rent your apartment, right?"

He nodded, getting back to work. "Yeah."

"That M'Fashnik really messed my place up. I was thinking of trying to pay for the damages, but…" She shook her head. "It's completely paid for. The utilities are actually pretty cheap. It's yours if you want it. Just gotta fix the damage."

He turned to regard her. "You're…giving me your condo?"

"Why not? I live with Red, T-bear and little D. It's actually not a bad arrangement. I'm home alone most of the time and I got plenty of privacy. I ain't using the place. Figured you could use it. Might save you some scratch on rent."

He smiled. "That sounds awesome." He hugged her. "Thanks. Anya will be thrilled."

"Of course she will. It's saving money. Seems to be all she thinks about."

"I'd like to argue with that. I really, really would." Xander said, happily. "Tony is waiting and he is not a patient man."

"I gathered that." Faith offered. "Later, bro." She said, walking over to the edge of the unfinished floor and jumping, landing beside the foreman. "Here I am."

He started and turned to regard her. He looked up at the twenty foot drop. "Did you just jump?" He asked, furrowing his brow.

"Yeah." She said. "So, do I sign anything?"

He looked at her. "No. Just move all of that…" He pointed to the three stacks. "Inside and stack it up where the boys need it." He pulled out the blueprints and indicated where she should make her piles. "Nothin' to it."

"You got it, hoss." She said patting his shoulder before picking up the beam she dropped beside him. She carried it inside without much effort. All of the guys watched her shaking their heads. They'd never seen the like.

"God, what I wouldn't give to hire her." Tony said.

"Talk to her, man. See if she needs a job." Marco said. "Hard work doesn't seem to bother her."

Faith decided to pick up the pace and lifted two beams, one on each shoulder. She worked tirelessly. In less than a half hour, she had all of the beams moved. She walked over to Tony. "There you go. Anything else you need done? I got all day."

He looked around and motioned her to follow. "Come here." He said, leading her off toward a secluded area.

"If you're planning to get fresh, I wouldn't recommend it." She said, warning in her voice.

"What are you, crazy?" He said, looking back at her. "And risk having you rip my head off and stuff it up my ass? No thanks." He made sure he was out of earshot of the other guys. "Look. I told you we were behind. I'm willing to put you on at team lead pay if you help us get back on track. You just saved me about seven to eight hours of work. That's little over twenty bucks an hour." He offered her his hand. "What do you say? I know you might not be union, but I could hire you as an independent contractor."

She thought about it. "I'm only available for about five, maybe six hours a day." She said to him. "And I…kinda have another job. I might have to bail on short notice."

"What do you do?" He asked her.

"Private security detail for some British guy." She lied. "He's usually a homebody during the day, but sometimes he needs me around. It's kind of an on-call gig. Don't happen often. That work out for you?"

Tony nodded. "With the work you'll be saving me, yeah. I can live with that. How early can you be here?"

"Here by nine, but gotta be off by two, hoss." She offered her hand to him.

He immediately took it. "Deal." He pulled his wallet out and took three hundred dollar bills out. "Here you go."

Faith spun, grabbed a piece of rebar and turned back around. "Duck." She said, gripping the front of his shirt and pulling him down. He fell to his knees, confused. She swung, cracking the hideous demon across the face with the sturdy metal. She whirled, ramming the rebar through the chest of a second creature, then tore the iron free and struck a third in the throat with a sidelong swing. The monster's neck crunched as it fell to the ground, gurgling it's last. She stepped past Tony and stabbed the first demon in the head.

The foreman stood, looking at the beasts. Seconds later they seemed to just…melt. "What the hell were those?"

Faith shrugged. "Couldn't tell you." She said. "So what else do you need me to do?"

He just stared at her. "Um…" He scratched his head. "Let's go to the admin trailer so I can get your paperwork done." As they walked along, he looked down at her. "That was amazing. How did you learn to do that?"

"How long you lived in Sunnydale?" She asked him.

"Not long. A couple of months."

"You ever seen anything like that before?"

He shook his head. "No. Never."

"Strange shit like this actually happens a lot in Sunnydale. I'm the reason you never hear about it."

"Guys around here…they talk, you know? They say things like vampires and werewolves. I thought they were just kidding. Making shit up. But…they weren't were they?"

"No." Faith said. "I'm what you might call a…supernatural hit woman. It's my job to take things like that…" The motioned back to where they came from. "Out before they do any real damage. Been doing this a while."

"So, you don't work private security, do you?"

"More like public security." Faith said. "But I'm still interested in the job offer."

He nodded. "Frankly, if things like that happen around here, I'd be glad to have you on board."

She smiled and followed him up the stairs to the trailer. She stopped when she noticed a black Chevy Conversion van sitting across the street. The van shimmied a bit as she stared at it. She could have sworn she saw someone with binoculars staring at her. Suddenly out of the blue, the theme to Star Wars belted out of the rig via the horn. "No fuckin' way." Before she could go the check it out, the van rumbled to life and raced off.

"What was that?" Tony asked, peeking out the door.

"Nothing." Faith said, stepping inside. "Nothing at all."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Faith hoisted the huge roll of tar paper and carried it around the building to a small fenced in yard. The men of the crew were still in awe of what the petite brunette was capable of. She'd removed her jacket and was wearing a black tank top. She chuckled as she heard the whistles and cat-calls. It didn't bother her at all. She was a good looking girl at a construction site. It was par for the course.

When she took her break, she even made a production of drinking a bottle of water, then pouring it over her head and chest, causing her tank top to cling to her lithe form. The boys went nuts. She knew it was all in good fun.

Tony was nice enough to give her a pair of heavy leather work gloves. She dropped the massive roll beside the others and looked at her watch. It was just before two.

She pulled her gloves off and made her way back to the foreman. "I'm outta here, big fella." She said, handing him the gloves.

He shook his head. "Nah. Keep 'em. Be back tomorrow at nine." He offered his hand. "Thanks for helping us out."

"No problem. Appreciate the job." Faith said, smiling.

"And thanks for dealing with those…whatever they were." He said, quietly.

"It's what I do, hoss." She patted him on the shoulder. "Catch you later." She said, moving off toward the Jeep.

She climbed in and fired the rig up, heading toward the school. She arrived a little early and sat, waiting for the teen. She pulled her phone out and dialed the Magic Box.  
"Hello?" Anya asked, her voice extremely chipper and professional.

"Hey, Ahn. It tweed around?" Faith asked.

"Just a second." The woman returned, sounding somewhat dejected.

"Yes, Faith?" Giles asked.

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm gonna be heading your way after I pick up half-pint. We gotta talk about some things."

"Did something happen today?"

"Yeah. Three demons attacked the construction site. I took 'em out, but they could have done some serious damage."

"Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah. Nothing I couldn't handle. The foreman, Tony got a nice in your face exposition on why life in Sunnydale is so exciting, but other than that, it wasn't bad. I think they were sent there for me. I think it has something to do with what happened to me yesterday. My stalker is playing with me again."

"It could be completely unrelated." He said, pulling his glasses off and massaging the bridge of his nose.

"And if it's not?" Faith asked.

"Then it's possible you're in real danger."

"First order of business is to find out what those demons were. Tall, six to six and a half feet. Pushing two and a half bills. Melt when they die. I'll grab little D and head over. Help you look around."

"I'll get started."

"Thanks. I gotta go." Faith said, ending the call. She put her phone in her pocket as Dawn came over and climbed into the car. "Hey, D."

"Hey, Faith." The girl said, happily.

"We gotta get you a shake to go, kid. I gotta get to the Magic Box pronto."

"We don't have to stop." Dawn said, buckling up. "I can skip one day."

Faith nodded and drove directly to the magic shop. She made her way inside to see Anya working with numbers and Giles stacking several books on the table. "Damn, tweed." Faith said, shaking her head. "This all research, or you testing build quality for the table?"

"I just want to be thorough." Giles said, sipping his tea. "As I said, this time anomaly and the demon attacks could be completely unrelated events, but if they're not…you could be in some danger."

"So same shit, different day." Faith said, sadly. She dropped to a chair. "D. Go ahead and get your homework done, then we'll work out a bit."

The girl nodded and sat down, clearing a spot. "I hate math." She groaned, pulling out her book.

"Faith, I've been meaning to ask you a favor." Giles said, sheepishly.

"What's that?" The slayer asked, not looking up from the book she was reading.

"You see…Halloween is a busy time for the store and, and, and we could really use the extra help. I was wondering if you'd…"

"Sure." Faith said, nodding. "Big bads usually stay in anyway. No reason why not." She looked at him. "What do you want me doing?"

"Anything and everything." Giles said. "Do you, do you have any customer service experience? Retail experience?"

"Shoplifted a lot as a kid. Does that count?"

"Not as such." He said, smiling. "But it might help to spot others that do so."

She put the book down and stood. "Why don't you hit this and I'll work with Anya for a couple hours."

"Very good." He said, pulling his glasses off and cleaning them.

Faith moved over to Anya, who lifted a black binder and opened it. "Um, you record returns here. Um, these are the slips for special orders. You ship them wherever the customer wants. And, uh, these are the hold slips."

"Fill out two hold slips for each item." Giles said as he rose to get more tea.

Faith furrowed her brow. "Instead of filling out two slips, why not just photocopy them? Saves time and resources."

"We don't have a photocopier." Anya said.

"Dude. You can pick up one up for like, two hundred bucks. Talk to Red. She knows the tech scene. She might be able to get you one for cheaper." She sighed. "But until that happens, two slips her hold item."

"Right. And be sure to remove the items from the shelf." Anya closed the book. "I can illustrate with an amusing story about a crystal."

"You could…" Faith said. "But don't." She patted Anya on the shoulder and took the book, checking over the forms. "Oh and Xander said to give you a hug and a kiss for having me take him his lunch." She looked at the woman. "But I'm not gonna."

"Shame." Anya said. "You're cute." She moved away from the counter to take care of a customer.

"Yeah. Been getting that all day." Faith said, going back to her task.

"This is so dull I might actually have fallen asleep and be dreaming you guys." Warren said, leaning on his hand watching the monitors. The screens showed a view of the interior of the Magic Box.

Andrew rolled up beside him in his chair. "Why is the Slayer here anyway? She's a mechanic, she's a construction worker, and…now she's some kind of…selling stuff person?"

Warren shook his head. "It's like she's completely without focus." He turned to Andrew. "Should we check the other channels for free cable porn?"

Andrew smiled and cocked his head, thinking it over.

"Guys, I'm ready." Jonathan said from the back of the van. He sat on the floor with a piece of paper in one hand and a lighter in the other. The pair got up and sat with him, forming a triangle. "I need you to hold hands."

Warren held his hand out to Andrew who recoiled immediately. "With each other?" The boy asked, nervously.

"Well, you know what homophobia really means about you, don't you?" Warren asked, lifting up a piece of bone and pointing it at the boy.

"Stop touching my magic bone!" Jonathan snapped.

Warren put the bone down as he and Andrew burst out giggling.

"Shut up." Jonathan said, annoyed. The pair stopped laughing but were grinning like mad. "Okay." He flicked the lighter as he held the piece of paper over the floor in between them. Warren grabbed Andrew's hand. Jonathan finally got the lighter lit and set the paper on fire. "Okay, it's in Latin, so don't laugh. It's supposed to sound like this." He put lighter aside and set the burning paper down in a bowl, picking up the bone. He waved the bone over the brazier while making gestures with his other hand. "_Opus orbit est, et ea in medio, tempus ad calcem intendit._" Clouds of smoke rose from the bowl. He grinned at the other guys, quite pleased with himself.

The smoke quickly engulfed them and they all began to cough. They opened the door to ventilate the acrid air.

The bell above the door jingled. Anya stepped up beside Faith. "Go and help that customer. Get a feel for it." She said, patting the slayer on the back.

"Right." Faith said, closing the binder and heading toward the woman. As she crossed the store a male patron stopped her.

"Miss? Which candle creates a more, you know, romantic atmosphere?" He asked with a sheepish grin.

Faith lifted one of the candles and sniffed it. She looked at the sticker on the bottom. "Huh. Lemon seduction." She looked at him. "Impressing a girl?"

He nodded. "We're having a candle light dinner and I wanna make sure it's just right."

"What's she like?" Faith asked. "Describe her."

"Tall, leggy blonde. Shoulder length hair. Sapphire blue eyes." He said, whimsically.

"What kind of music does she like?"

"She's really into classic rock." He said. "Her ring tone is _Immigrant Song_ by Led Zeppelin."

Faith shook her head. "You don't want either of these." She said. She knelt and looked at the candles on the bottom. She took a darker purple one and sniffed it. She looked at the bottom and nodded. "Here you go. Midnight lavender. Calmer scent. Not so much romantic as relaxing. That, a bottle of wine and Jefferson Airplane's _Surrealistic Pillow_ and you should be good to go. For dinner, you want something light. No steak or ribs or anything like that. You want her horny, not in a coma. I suggest seafood. No salmon or strong smelling fish. Maybe grilled prawns and a nice pilaf with broccoli. For dessert, I suggest sorbet." She clapped him on the shoulder. "Should make your night a good one."

He grinned widely. "Thanks." He said, happily. "Appreciate it."

"Knock her dead, slugger." She patted his shoulder and moved over to the woman. "Can I help you?"

"I need something for a prosperity spell. I was told you have it. The mummy hand?"

Faith raised an eyebrow. "A mummy hand? Gotta admit, never been asked for one of those before. Yeah, we got one downstairs. Cop a squat, I'll grab it for you." She turned and headed downstairs to the basement.

Faith walked along between the shelves, looking at the contents of some of the jars. "Petrified hamster…what the hell would you use that for? Eyeballs and honey? Nasty. Ooh Dagger of Lex…" She picked the blade up and spun it in her hand. "Nice." She set it back on its stand and turned to see the mummy hand sitting atop a wooden crate. "Huh. Ancient mummy hand. Can't find that at Wal-Mart." She reached out to grab it, starting when it suddenly sprang to life. It leapt at her and gripped her throat. She staggered back, hitting the shelf. She calmly pulled the hand free and held it as it struggled to reach her. "Christ. Workman's comp would never believe this." She took the hand up the stairs and carried it over to Giles. "Hey, tweed? We got something to put this in? Woman over there wants to buy it." She kept her grip tight.

He looked at her. "Oh, yes." He said, cleaning his glasses. "Quite. Quite, quite." He then turned away, ignoring her.

She snarled and moved over, kicking him sharply in the butt. "Tweed!" She snapped.

"Bloody hell." He said, turning back around. "Faith! What are you…why do you have my mummy hand?"

"Lady over there wants it. It's being kind of stubborn. Need a cage or a box or a pet carrier or something to put it in. Brown baggin' it ain't gonna cut in."

He made his way into a back room and came out with a gilded box. "The box is extra. Let her know that." He said, opening it to place the hand inside.

Faith quickly slammed it shut. "Got it." She said, carrying the box over to the woman. "Here you are. One live mummy hand. Unless you got something to carry him home in, the crate's gonna be extra."

The woman frowned. "I'm not paying for the box. I came for a mummy hand. That's all I'm paying for."

"Suit yourself." Faith said. "Move over here and pay for the hand and it's all yours. We'll keep the box and you can take the hand."

The woman nodded and followed Faith over to the counter. The slayer rang her up, took the money and pushed the box over. "He's all yours."

She opened it to remove the hand and was shocked when the severed limb leapt up and gripped her throat. The woman staggered and fell to the floor. Faith leaned over and rested her arms on the counter. "Sure you don't want the box?" She asked with a smile.

She looked up as she heard the bell over the door ring. The woman stepped in and began looking around. Faith furrowed her brow and looked down at the floor. "Wait a minute." She said, stepping around the counter.

Anya walked up to her. "Go and help that customer. Get a feel for it." She said, patting Faith's shoulder.

The slayer furrowed her brow and looked at the woman. "This isn't right. We just did this." She walked up to the woman. The male customer intercepted her again. Faith reached down handed him the purple candle. "This. _Surrealistic Pillow_ by Jefferson Airplane and grilled prawns with pilaf. Serve sorbet for desert. You'll get laid." She patted his shoulder. "Knock yourself out." She moved past him and up to the woman. "You came in for a mummy hand, right?"

The woman nodded. "For a prosperity spell."

"Yeah, we got one in stock. Give me a couple minutes, okay?" Faith asked. The woman nodded and began browsing. Faith immediately moved over to Giles. "Okay, tweed, something strange is goin' on."

He looked at her. "Oh, yes." He said, cleaning his glasses. "Quite. Quite, quite." He then turned away, ignoring her.

"It's happening again." She moved over and smacked him in the back of the head. "Giles. Pay attention."

The man staggered and rubbed his head. "Bloody hell." He said, turning toward her. "What?"

"We got a problem. I think I'm getting fucked with again."

"What makes you say that?" He asked, putting his glasses back on.

"Because the woman that came in is looking for a mummy hand. I've already gone down in the basement, found it and brought it up. Last time I did, the thing jumped out of the gilded box you gave me and strangled her. She refused the pay for the box, but still wanted the hand. As soon as she hit the dirt, she walked through the door again."

Giles furrowed his brow. "You sure you're not just…having a sense of Déjà vu?"

"No." Faith said. She pointed to her neck. "Are there bruises?"

"Faint, but yes."

"In the shape of a hand?" She asked.

He looked closer. "Yes." He leaned back. "That's rather peculiar."

"Am I stuck in some kind of…loop?" She asked him. "So far it's only happened once. But I am not gonna be stuck like this."

"Just…give me a moment." He moved over to the woman. "Good afternoon. I am given to understand you're looking for a mummy's hand, yes?"

She nodded. "Yes. I called earlier and was told you have one."

"Right. Have you your own containment? It is a live hand and is incredibly dangerous." Giles asked.

"Well, no." The woman said. "That's your job."

"Actually, you contacted us simply requesting the hand. You are responsible for transport."

"Your employee didn't say that over the phone." She hiked her purse up. "I am not leaving until I get the hand. You'll just have to come up with something."

"Well, I do have a Quisque Refrenatione. But it's extra." He said.

Faith watched the exchange.

"I'm not paying for a box _and_ the hand. I came for the hand, that's all I'm paying for." She was getting angry. "Now bring me that hand right now."

"Have you any means of controlling it so it doesn't harm you?" Giles asked, massaging the bridge of his nose. "Otherwise, I can't sell it to you."

She sneered. "Well, then I'll just take my business elsewhere." She turned and left the store without another word.

Faith rubbed her face in her hands and heard the bell over the door jingle. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She saw Anya staring at her with a smile. "Go and help that customer. Get a feel for it." She said, happily.

"Fuck me." Faith said, sadly. "Hey Anya?"

"Yes?"

"How much is the Quisque Refrenatione you guys have?" Faith asked.

"Two hundred and forty nine, ninety nine." She said, off the top of her head. "Why?"

"How much for the live mummy hand in the basement?"

"Eight hundred ninety dollars and ninety nine cents." Anya asked. "Why are you asking?"

"Here." Faith pulled the three hundred bucks out of her pocket and handed it to Anya. "Go and get the box."

The girl shrugged and pocketed the cash and went into the back room, coming back with the chest. "Here you go."

Faith took it and carried it with her down into the basement. She set it on the crate and reached for the hand. Again, it leapt at her. She caught it in midair and opened the box. She dropped the severed hand in and closed it quickly. She took it upstairs and over to the waiting woman. The male customer intercepted her, but she shook her head. "Give me second, bud. Be right with you." He nodded and moved back to the candles. "You called about the mummy hand, right?"

"I did. But this is a…"

"Box is free with the purchase of the hand." Faith said. "Let's go ring this bad boy up. Word of caution. This hand is pretty lively."

The woman nodded. "I've dealt with them before."

Faith rang her up and handed her the box. "There you are. Enjoy." She watched the woman take the chest and leave the store. She waited a few seconds and smiled. She moved over to the man with the candles. "Alright…" She said, kneeling and lifting up the midnight lavender. "This is what you want…" She again explained what he should do to have a good evening.

She was incredibly glad that that was over. "I swear to god, I'm gonna find this assclown and whoop the shit out of him."

Anya came over, with Faith's change. "Here you are. And your receipt."

Faith took it and pocketed it. She stared outside and saw that same black van, pulling away. She ran out of the store and watched it race down the street. "Great." She said, sighing. "No license plate. Figures."

Dawn came out, looking around. "What?"

Faith grinned widely. "I just got a really good idea." She headed for the Jeep. "Come on. We need to talk to double B."

Ten minutes later, Buffybot was sitting on the sofa with the access port on her stomach open. "I am never gonna get used to that." Dawn said, shaking her head.

"It's okay, Dawn." Buffybot said in that same chipper voice. "It doesn't hurt. But I appreciate your concern."

"What's up, robo B?"

"I'm getting customer service skills." She said, happily. "I'm going to work."

"Um…what?" Faith asked.

"Anya had a good suggestion. She suggested giving her some customer service skills and having her join the work force to bring in some extra money." Willow offered. "It's actually not a bad idea. We can always use extra money around here."

"That actually reminds me. I've got another job. I'm working nine to two at the construction site Xander works at. I'm making twenty one fifty an hour."

"That's two grand a month. On top of what the Watcher's council is paying you." Willow nodded. "That's good money."

Faith shrugged. "So, B. I was wondering if you knew Warren's address."

She nodded. "He created me." She said. She read his address off. "He lives with his parents."

"Not surprised." Faith said. "I'm gonna go and stir things up. See what his deal is." She looked to Dawn. "Stay here."

"You shouldn't go yet." Tara said, moving out of the kitchen. "First off, because dinner is almost ready and second, because you should wait until dark."

"Why?" Faith asked.

"Well, you p-plan on beating the truth out of him, right?" At Faith's nod, Tara shrugged. "Less people pay attention to that kind of thing at night."

Faith chuckled. "True. So what did you make for dinner?"

"Meat loaf." Tara said. "And garlic cheddar mashed potatoes."

Faith sighed. "I think I love you." She said, grinning widely.

Tara giggled and went back into the kitchen. Willow looked at Faith and drew a small smirk.

Dawn was just glad to see everyone getting along so well.

Warren sat behind the wheel of the van. Andrew was beside him and Jonathan in the passenger seat.

"Where are we going?" Jonathan asked.

"To Final Jeopardy. Where Faith's the one in the jeopardy." Warren said, his voice sinister.

"We are really super-villains now, like…like Dr. No." Andrew offered, smiling. Jonathan nodded his agreement.

"Yeah, back when Bond was Connery, and movies were decent." Warren piped in.

Jonathan gave him a scornful look. "Who remembers Connery? I mean, Roger Moore was smooth."

Warren returned his stare. "You're insane. You're short, and you're insane."

Andrew shrugged. "I like Timothy Dalton!" He said, before getting a smack upside the head by Warren. "Hey!"

"Don't make me pull over, okay?" Warren snapped. "Connery _is_ Bond. He had style."

Jonathan nodded. "Yeah, but Roger Moore was funny."

Warren gave him an incredulous look. "_Moonraker_? The gondola turns into a hovercraft? It's retarded. Besides, the guy had, like, no edge."

Andrew turned angry eyes to Warren. "Dalton had edge. In _License to Kill_ he was a rogue agent. That's edgy." Warren and Jonathan both carried disbelief in their eyes as they regarded him. "And he was amazing in _The Living Daylights_."

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, which was written for Roger Moore, not Timothy Dalton!"

Warren stopped the van. "Okay, this is stupid! We're wasting time. End of discussion." The other two nodded and got to their consoles. Unable to let it go, Warren piped in again. "I mean, there's a shot of like _pigeons_ doing double-takes when the gondola blasted by! _Moonraker _is inexcusable." He stood in the back of the van. "Connery is the only actor of the bunch."

Andrew rose up behind him. "Timothy Dalton should get an Oscar and beat Sean Connery over the head with it!"

Warren lowered his eyes and sighed. "Okay, that's it." He spun and grabbed Andrew in a headlock. The pair struggled around the inside of the van.

Jonathan got up and tried pulling them apart. "Hey! Stop it! Guys!"

Faith drove along, looking at the addresses. "I can't see the numbers." She said, dismayed.

"That's alright, luv." Spike said from the passenger side. "I know which one is his."

"Okay, I gotta ask. Why?"

"You wouldn't understand." He said, pulling a cigarette out. He tapped the lighter of the car. "Love makes you do weird things."

"I can understand that." Faith offered. "Right now there isn't anything I wouldn't do for Red, T-bear and little D."

"It's not the same." Spike said, sadly. "Can't really blame Buffy for not being into it. What with what she went through with Angel and all that."

"And the fact that, you know, you're evil and he's not." Faith said. "Some girls look down on that kinda shit."

Spike looked at her with a smile. He pulled the lighter free and lit his smoke. "Some girls, eh?"

Faith returned his grin. "Never said any of those girls are me."

"Trust, me I found that out." He took a drag. "You are one wild girl in the sack, luv."

"Get that a lot." Faith said. "So did you and double B ever…you know?"

"Why? Jealous?" Spike asked.

"Jealousy really doesn't cover what I'm feeling right now, to be honest."

"Several times." He said, giving her a bad-boy smirk. "That bother you?"

"Not so much. World's most technologically advanced sex doll." Faith said. "What ever get's you through it."

"Pale shadow, if you ask me." Spike said, softly.

"Yeah. I miss her too." Faith offered. She suddenly slammed on the brakes. "No fucking way."

"What?" Spike asked, looking around.

"That van. It was at the construction site and outside the Magic Box earlier today. I saw it driving away." She climbed out of the Jeep and started walking toward it.

Spike moved out beside her. "This ought to be fun." He finished his cigarette and flicked the butt off to the side.

Jonathan tried to break them up, glancing at the monitor. He gasped loudly. "Look!"

The pair stopped wrestling long enough to eye the monitor. Faith was stalking toward the van, extremely angry. "Oh, she's coming over here! What do we do?"

"Jonathan, grab your magic bone." Warren said before he and Andrew burst into giggles again. Jonathan just looked at them, annoyance plainly written on his face.

Faith drew closer, clenching her fists. "God, I'm gonna enjoy this. Son of a bitch has been making my shit miserable all damn day."

Suddenly a massive demon leapt from behind the van. He was easily a foot taller than she was and was heavily muscled. His skin was a dusky red and his wings appeared almost golden. He had long black shiny horns and wore nothing but a loin cloth. To Faith he looked oddly like … "A Pit Fiend?" She said, cocking an eyebrow. "Really?"

The demon stopped and stared at her, surprise on his face. "Wow. How did you know… I mean Raaarrgh!" The beast lifted it's arms menacingly. "You have discovered me!" He put his hands on his hips. "But do not try to defeat me, for I have been testing you and I know your weaknesses. Ha ha ha!" He cast a quick look at the van as it screeched away.

Faith took a step and spun, planting her heel directly into the beast's abdomen. The monster flew backward at least twenty feet and slammed into a pile of trash cans.

"Ooh! Oh!" The demon growled, trying to get to his feet. He finally stood to see Faith walking toward him, clenching her fists.

Spike was laughing hysterically.

"I am well struck!" The beast croaked out. "I call on the misty portal to my demon dimension, where I will lay my head and gently die." In a bright flash and a puff of smoke, Faith was temporarily blinded. She staggered back, hacking and coughing. She couldn't see a damn thing. The demon turned and ran between a pair of houses, disappearing in the night.

"Son of a bitch." Faith said, looking around. "He didn't just explode, did he?" She looked at Spike. "Did you see anything?"

He was wiping his eyes because he was laughing so hard. "Yeah. I saw a bloke in a demon suit." He chuckled again. "That wasn't a real demon. It's a glamour. An illusion. Looks and feels real, but it's not. Was a normal bloke under all that nasty."

"How do you know?" Faith asked, curious.

"Because a demon that size, that powerful looking. Aside from looking like a page out of a Dungeons and Dragons book, would have been able to shrug a kick like that off."

Faith had to concede that. As impressive as the beast looked, it had a glass jaw. "Warren strikes again." She said. "This guy is starting to be a pain in my ass."

Warren pulled the van over into a darkened alley. "He'll be okay." He said, looking at Andrew. He looked into the side mirror and turned around. "Case in point."

The demon ran up the driver's side door. "She hurt me all over."

Warren thumbed toward the back of the van. "Someone'll see you! Get in the back."

The beast shook his head. "I won't fit."

Andrew looked over at him. "Well, do the…thing."

"Oh, right." The demon said, nodding. "Let the spell be ended!" The massive creature shrunk and turned back into Jonathan. He had to hold the loin cloth around his waist. He groaned in pain and hobbled to the back of the van, climbing in gingerly. "Ahh! Ow."

Warren wrapped a blanket around him.

"Ohh, next time I do that spell, one of you guys has to look like the demon." Jonathan said, his voice heavy with pain.

"The slayer touched you." Andrew said, awestruck.

"Yeah, it was sexy the way she touched me real hard with her boot. I only looked big. I actually had the proportional strength of…well…me."

Warren shook his head. "Guys, think about this. We took on the Slayer. I mean, we've got all kinds of stuff in the computer now…speed, strength, reaction time…we're getting what we need to really become a threat to her. We tested her, faced her…and we survived."

Jonathan frowned. "Unless I have internal injuries that will eventually kill me."

Andrew nodded. "Oh, of course, but barring that, Warren's right. We did good!"

Warren smiled widely. "The Trio…versus the Slayer. It's not over."

Andrew jumped up and sat in one of the chairs, working with the gear. "Plus, look what Warren and me discovered by accident before we drove away!"

The other two came and looked over his shoulder. "What?" Jonathan asked. He stared at the screens.

"Free cable porn!" The three said in unison.

Faith sat out on the roof just outside the bedroom she occupied at the Summers house. She heard the door to the room open and the soft footfalls pad across the floor. She turned to see Tara climb out onto the roof beside her. She handed the slayer a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows in it. Faith chuckled and took it. "Thanks."

"Th-thought you could use a little comfort." The blonde said, sitting beside her. "Any luck finding him?"

"No." Faith said, sipping the coco. "Spike said he'll keep an ear to the ground. Learn what he can."

"It wasn't like anything he did was much of a threat." Tara said. "Willow has a theory."

"Really?" Faith asked. "What's she got?"

"Come on." Tara said, climbing back inside. "She made charts."

"Oh, a whole presentation, huh?" Faith made sure not to spill her drink. "Can't wait to see this."

The pair made their way downstairs to see Willow with some papers on the dining room table and a whiteboard with writing on it.

"T-bear says you may have the low down on what Warren's beef is with me." Faith said, taking a seat.

"Well, I've been looking into what happened to you over the past couple of days. I coordinated my search with Giles and Anya. I described the demon that you fought to Anya and she said she's never heard of it or anything like it. Demons tend not to look quite so…"

"Fantasy RPG-ish?" Faith asked. "Yeah, I figured something like that. I mean, the whole. 'Wow, how did you know?' Should have been a dead giveaway, but Spike let me in on the whole magical illusion angle."

Willow nodded. "Warren is a tech-genius. Mad scientist stuff. Robot girlfriends, little devices that can alter time, things like that."

"So what are you saying?" Faith asked.

"Well, the first incident was a device. That smacks of Warren Mears. But the second thing that happened was a trio of demons. We've identified the demon. It's name is really hard to pronounce…even for me."

"That's saying something. Between you and Tweed, I don't think there's language on the planet you two can't figure out." Faith admitted.

"But they are usually second hand foot soldiers. Low level goon types. Someone summoned them to test you. Unlike most other types of demons, they don't travel to different worlds to promote mayhem. They aren't drawn to the hellmouth."

"A-and from what we know of Warren, he doesn't do demon summoning."

"But we know someone that does. Buffy beat the hell out of his big brother on prom night."

"The kid that had the hell hounds." Faith said. "Boss was pissed about that. He actually wanted me to go and tune his ass up, but by the time I got to his house, Buffy was there and handling it."

"Tucker disappeared after that. But Buffy learned that it was actually his little brother Andrew that summoned the hounds for him." Willow offered.

"So you think Warren and this…Andrew kid are teaming up to piss me off?" Faith asked. "What the hell did I do to these guys?"

"It's not over yet." Willow said. "The last trial you faced was the Magic Box. Time seemed to loop for you until you could find a way to give the woman the mummy hand, right?"

"Oddly." Faith said.

"We only know one person that can do that kind of magic so flawlessly. He did it before." Willow said. She looked to Tara.

"Jonathan."

"The little dark haired kid that wanted to kill himself in high school?" Faith asked. "I've met him like, once. And all I did was keep a jock from smackin' him around."

"But if you look at it, everything that happened to you…the time fluctuation device, the demons at the construction site and the reality alteration magic? Not to mention the demon illusion. It makes sense."

"So what, these guys are like…the Legion of Doom, the B team?" At Willow's nod, she sighed. "Great. I've got Brainiac's retarded lab assistant, Doctor Fate's pet monkey and a socially awkward dork with a Mother Box." Faith shook her head. "Wonderful."

Willow and Tara both looked at each other. "You must have read a lot of comics."

"I like comic books, what?" The girl said, shrugging.

"We'll just have to keep an eye out and make sure they don't bother you." Willow said. She moved over and hugged Faith. "Don't worry, we'll protect the slayer from big mean nerds."

Faith reached over and gently dug her fingers into the redhead's ribs. Willow immediately receded, giggling. "Yeah, but who's gonna protect you from me, Red." The brunette got up and started chasing Willow around the table.

The witch hid behind her girlfriend. "Tara, help."

The blonde nodded. "Okay." She said before turning and tickling the girl in earnest. "But t-two on one seems a little unfair." The three tumbled to the floor, in a fit of giggling and laughing.

Dawn came down the stairs and stopped by the entrance to the dining room. "Jeez, guys. Take it upstairs." She said, moving into the kitchen.

The three stopped and sat on the floor, breathing heavily.

Faith rose to her feet. "I'm gonna hit the showers." She said, before veritably running up the stairs.

"You know, for a moment there…" Willow said. "I think she actually knew what it was like to just be a teenage girl."

"It l-looked good on her." Tara said. She looked at Willow and bit her lip. She cocked her head to the side.

The redhead nodded. She was thinking the same exact thing.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Seriously?" Faith asked, looking at Giles with a raised eyebrow. "You want me to what?"

"I-I-It's customary for people to, to, to dress up on Halloween." He said, nervously. He knew that he was asking a lot of Faith as it was to help out with various duties for the Magic Box on their first big Halloween sale the following night. Her time was already monopolized by working her fingers to the bone at the construction site, trying to get her car rebuilt and training Dawn. To say nothing of patrolling every single night alone.

While not having been seriously injured yet, Faith was carrying a rather inordinate amount of fading bruises, welts and cuts from her nights on the town. According to what Tara and Willow had been telling him, Faith hadn't been to the Bronze but a handful of times since returning to Sunnydale. The girl was proving to be quite the responsible adult, despite her younger age.

But to be requiring her to don a costume of some sort for her night at the shop, he felt was pushing it. I didn't however, hurt to try. "I can't force you to dress up, of course…" He added.

She leaned against the wall of the training room and sighed. "This is important to you, isn't it?" She asked him.

"Yes, it sort of is." He said, wiping the sweat from his brow. "If you don't feel comfortable with it…"

She rubbed her face in her hands. "Is there anything you rather I _not_ wear?"

"Um…" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Nothing too…provocative?"

"Okay, so no coming to the shop dressed like a dominatrix or anything?" Faith asked, smirking.

"I would prefer it if you didn't." He said. "We'll most likely have children about."

"It'll get 'em talking." Faith said. "But I hear you. Keep it G-rated. Something kid friendly. I'll take T-bear and Red shopping tonight. See what we can scrounge up."

He gave her a warm smile. "I really do appreciate it, Faith." He said, happily.

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it." She looked at her watch. "I better get moving if I wanna get my shit done before I gotta patrol."

"You know…" He said, moving toward her. "I've spoken with Spike. He's told me that he doesn't mind taking the burden once in a while if you feel like taking the time off."

Faith immediately shook her head. "Can't do that." She said, sitting down to pull the tape off her hands and feet. "Slaying is my responsibility, not his. Council ain't paying' me to sit on my ass, watch TV and play videos games."

He sighed heavily. He knew better than to suggest such a thing. "Well, tomorrow is Halloween and, for the most part, the supernatural element tends to not be an issue."

"Yeah, I read about that. That's pretty much the only reason I agreed to help you out. Since I won't be patrolling, I can put in my volunteer time here."

"I'm not going to make you do it for free." He said.

"Don't worry about it." She said, motioning around. "You wanna make it up to me? Pick up a few ten packs of tacos from Taco Bell down the street. Gimme something to eat tomorrow night. We'll call it square."

He smiled. "And a case a soda." He offered.

She held her hand out. "Mr. Giles? We have an accord." She said, in a horrible British accent.

"You know…" He said, shaking her hand. "Not all of us Brits sound like Captain Jack Sparrow."

"Yeah…you kinda do." She said. "I'm outta here. I'll catch you later tonight. I might just call you to give you the highlights if I run into anything."

"Fair enough. Have a good evening."

Faith left the shop, waving goodbye to Anya as she did so and climbed into the Jeep. She made it home a few minutes later. Willow sat with her feet propped on the sofa with the TV on. She had a textbook in her hands and was reading intently. She did look up as Faith walked through the door. A warm smile drew across her face. "Hey." She said. "How was work?"

"Lotta lifting and carrying." Faith said. "Same shit, different day. You and T-bear busy?"

The redhead shook her head. "No, why?"

"Well, you know we're all gonna be clocking time at the Magic Box tomorrow night. Tweed wants us all to dress up." Faith said. "And I ain't got a damn clue what to dress up as. Last time I dressed up in a costume I was eight."

Willow grinned. She could picture little Faith Lehane clad in some cheesy off the rack costume. "What were you?"

"Promise you won't laugh?" Faith asked, sitting on the arm of the easy chair.

"No." Willow offered, stifling a snicker.

"Well, then to hell with it." Faith rose and moved toward the stairs.

"Okay, okay. I promise I won't laugh…much." She stared into Faith's narrowed eyes. "Look, you're like, the poster girl for badass, okay. If you tell me you were a princess or something, I'm gonna laugh my ass off. Sorry."

Faith sighed and crossed her arms. "Well I was a princess…sort of."

"What do you mean, sort of?" Willow said. "You were either a princess or you weren't."

"The character I dressed up as was a princess _technically_." Faith looked at Willow sheepishly. "I was Wonder Woman."

Willow raised her eyebrows. "You were Wonder Woman?"

"Princess Diana of Themyscira." Faith shrugged. "Just seemed like a good idea at the time."

"I can see that. You and she have a lot in common." Willow said. "Why not dress up as her again?"

"Really?" Faith asked. "You don't think that would be too…revealing?"

"It's Wonder Woman. It's not like her likeness isn't plastered all over the place as it is."

"True." Faith said, nodding. "I could live with that."

"And think about it this way. In off chance that everyone gets turned into their costumes again, you'll have a leg up."

"Oh, yeah, because I'll need the ability to juggle aircraft carriers." Faith said. "I need to go shopping for what I'm gonna need. What about you two?"

Willow nodded. "I gotta think of something."

"I'm gonna grab a shower, then we can all hit the mall or something." Faith said, turning and heading up the stairs.

Willow bit her lip and thought. She had no idea that Giles wanted them to wear costumes. She put her book down and rose to her feet, padding softly into the kitchen. Tara was busy making brownies. She had a batch already cooling on the counter, several of which Dawn was demolishing at the island with a large glass of milk. "I thought you would be with Faith and the Magic Box working out."

"Had a lot of homework to get done." Dawn said. "But I managed it." She dipped the brownie and took another bite. "She made them with walnuts."

"Ooh." Willow said, taking one of them and quickly devouring it. "My girl can cook."

Tara blushed and leaned in to kiss the redhead. "You two c-can have all of those. This batch is for Faith." The girl said, pouring the mix into the baking dish.

"Why does she get a whole batch to herself?" Dawn asked.

Both Tara and Willow looked at the girl with a raised eyebrow. The teen looked at them for a moment and finally nodded. "Right. Dumb question."

A few minutes later Faith came down the stairs in a pair of jeans and a black tank top. "Hey T-bear." The slayer said. "Ooh, brownies." She reached for one, only to be smacked in the hand with a spatula.

"Those are for us. Yours are in the oven and need to finish baking." Tara said sternly.

Faith frowned. "But I want a brownie now." She whined.

"Tough noogies, sister." Tara said, pointing the spatula at her menacingly. "You'll just have to be patient."

Faith sighed and moved over to the fridge, pulling out a can of soda. "Fair enough. So does everyone know what they're gonna dress up as for Halloween?"

Both Tara and Willow shook their heads. Dawn bit her lip, but said nothing. "What about you?" Tara asked.

"Probably go as Wonder Woman. At least that's what Red here says I should be."

"I think you'd be cute." Tara said with a shy smile.

"You just wanna see me in a skimpy little costume." Faith said, slugging her soda.

"You caught me." Tara offered softly.

"You caught _us._" Willow corrected.

"The pair of you are spoken for there, ladies."

"Good god." Dawn said, taking another brownie and rising to her feet.

"What's your issue, little D?"

"I swear. Sometimes you're dimmer than a three watt bulb." She left the room, leaving Faith to stand there and wonder what the hell the little girl was talking about.

The slayer turned to the pair of witches. She sighed and crushed the can in her hand and tossed it into the trash. She crossed her arms and leaned against the fridge. "Why?" She asked, finally.

The blonde and the redhead both looked at her. "What do you mean?" Willow asked, genuinely curious.

"Since I got back to Sunnydale, a few rocky first days aside, you two have been flirting with me non-stop." She looked each of them in the eye. "I'm not gonna say the idea doesn't intrigue me, because, well, it does. But I'm not gonna step on anyone's toes. I'm here to do what B asked me to do. That's my priority." She motioned upstairs. "_She's_ my priority. I'm being trusted by the one person whose trust I really don't deserve to make sure her sister is okay. I don't wanna do _anything_ to jeopardize that." She gave the pair a minute. "With that said, I wanna know, in no uncertain terms, just how serious I should be taking…" She motioned between the three of them. "_This_."

Tara and Willow stared at each other a moment. "Would you give us the room?" The blonde asked.

Faith nodded. "Sure. I'm gonna grab laundry. You girls got anything that needs doing?"

"A couple shirts and a pair of pants on our bedroom floor." Tara said. After Faith left the room, Tara turned her soft blue eyes to Willow. "She does raise an interesting question."

"Yeah, she does." Willow said, taking the girl's hands. "How do you feel about her?"

"She's been wonderful. She's been a huge help to Dawnie, she's been considerate of our schedules. She's quiet when she comes back from patrol. She's up to make sure we have breakfast before we go to school, she makes sure we have lunches to take with us. She a whiz with a budget." Tara sighed. "She's perfect."

Willow nodded. "I kinda feel like we take advantage of her."

"It's because she genuinely wants to do right by everyone. Not just for Dawn, but for all of us."

"But how do you _feel_ about her?" Willow asked again. "Inside."

"I could see myself loving her, Willow." Tara offered, her voice feather soft. "Just the caring she shows. The compassion for everyone around her. When I met her before she was… she was so angry. Angry at the world, angry at herself, her situation. But now?" She shook her head. "She's a completely different person. I think she just needed somewhere to belong." She squeezed Willow's hands. "And I think she belongs with us."

The redhead slowly smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way." She pulled Tara in and kissed her. "I think tonight we should… you know."

"Do you think she's ready for that?" Tara asked her. "Are _we_ ready for that?"

"We should at least talk about it." Willow said. "Clear the air and see where we all stand on the idea. I know it isn't exactly traditional, but hey, we're in Sunnydale. I'm dating a girl and my best friend is dating an ex-demon. Not to mention we got a robotic doppelganger posing as a fry cook at the local fast food joint, and we live with a convicted murderer and we seem to be giddy about it." She chuckled. "Traditional in our lives would just be creepy."

"I-I don't think we'd recognize normal if it bit us on the ass." Tara said, snickering also.

"Well, if we wanna be bitten on the ass, there's a slayer upstairs that would be more than happy." Willow said, unable to stop herself.

"Y-You're bad." Tara said, turning away from her to check the brownies.

A moment later, Faith came through the kitchen with a basket full of laundry. "You two get everything hashed out?" She asked.

"We did." Willow said. "We'll talk about it after you get home from patrol tonight."

"A-And don't worry about your c-costume for tomorrow." Tara said. "I've actually got a light load on classes, so I can pick up what you need."

Faith nodded. "Nice. I'm gonna go ahead and suit up. Hit the streets and try to make an early night of it. Got a big day tomorrow."

Tara snuck in and pecked her on the lips. "Be careful."

Willow shot in and did likewise. "Come back safe. We got a lot to talk about." She pointed to the large pan Tara pulled out of the oven. "And slayer brownies."

"Walnuts and p-peanut butter chips." Tara offered.

"You know, you two are makin' it really hard to leave." Faith said, smiling.

"Brownies need to cool." Willow said. She turned Faith around and gently pushed her through the door. "Now go. Have fun. Beat up vampires and come back home to your family."

Faith sighed and did as she was told. She strapped on her body armor and her weapons. She moved down the stairs and out into the garage. "Later." She said to the pair. They smiled and waved back to her. She hit the garage door and climbed onto the classic Harley Davidson that she kept after the Hellions decided to vacate Sunnydale. Her car had been a hard fix simply because of the parts needed taking so long to get shipped to her.

The Harley, strangely, just needed to have the engine rebuilt. She disassembled the entire motor and cleaned up the parts. After she'd gone through it, replacing the seals and plugs, the bike was in excellent shape. She fired the bike up and it rumbled to life. Instead of putting on a gaudy paint job, she just gave it a coat of black primer and left it at that. She did seal it to make sure it didn't rust horribly, but that was it. She flipped back the stand rolled out into the driveway, lowering the garage door and off she went.

She had trouble concentrating as she moved through the town slowly, trying to keep an eye out. Her thoughts were on the conversation to come. She drove into a cemetery parking lot and dropped the bike's stand. She climbed off and began searching through the plots looking for any sign of the undead. She reached out with her senses, but couldn't focus. She knew why.

She shook her head and brought herself back to the task at hand. The town was counting on her to keep them safe. She couldn't distract herself with what might come later. She got her head back in the game and stretched out her senses once again. She moved along slowly, keeping ready for anything that might be looking for a tasty mortal to snack on.

"Stop." She heard a soft, giggling voice call from a section of the graveyard secluded by a large stand of trees. She remembered this place. It was a very out of the way spot at the back of one of the older cemeteries. She remembered asking Buffy if she'd ever found kids making out near here. She crept closer, taking care not to be heard. She'd had a long time to practice how to walk silently in heavy boots.

She rounded a tree and watched the pretty young brunette girl leaning against a tree, staring into the eyes of a tall rather good looking short haired blonde boy. The boy was wearing a nice black t-shirt and a pair of wranglers that were tight in the butt. She spared a moment to check out his caboose before she turned her eyes to the girl. She was wearing a pair of bright orange spandex pants and a melon colored tank top that hung loose on one shoulder. Her hair was piled high and looked to have enough product in it to put the entire 80's glam movement to shame. Faith looked down her legs and raised an eyebrow. "Really?" She asked softly. "Leg warmers?"

That pretty much told her everything she needed to know. She made sure her silver cross was visible about her neck and moved toward the pair as the boy leaned in to nuzzle the girl's neck. "Come on, baby." He said, his voice husky. His hands were all over her and she was showing no signs of stopping him.

Faith closed in, clearing her throat. "Nice night." She said, smiling. She made sure her trench was closed.

The pair looked at her. "Was." The boy said, looking her up and down. "It might have just gotten better."

Faith shook her head. "Ain't here for you, slick." She said. She looked at the girl. "I'm here for her."

"Oh, man." He said, sadly. "You a fuckin' lesbian?"

"No, I play both sides of the fence." She said. "But your girl toy there is a lot more interesting than you. Cute butt aside." She stepped closer. "Case in point." She lifted the cross and held toward the girl. She immediately hissed and recoiled from it. "This the part where you run." She said, shoving the boy away from the vampire.

"No!" The girl screamed, going game face. "He's mine!" She lunged at Faith, trying to claw her eyes out.

Faith stepped aside, throwing her coat open. "Aw, look who decided to come out and play." She snatched a stake from her belt.

The vampire squared off with her, holding her fingers in hooked claws. "I thought the slayer was dead."

"You need to get out more." Faith said, spinning the stake in her hand. "There's always a slayer, sister. You kill one, another just seems to pop up." She shot forward with a hard right cross that caught the vampire across the face. She spun with a follow up backhand that knocked the girl to the ground. "I'm gonna say you were turned in the what? Mid-eighties?" Faith asked, dancing back from the girl. "That makes you at least thirty five years old. And no one taught your ass to fight? That's just sad."

The girl rose and lunged violently. Faith met her head on, driving her shoulder into the vamp's abdomen and slamming her to the ground, hard. She rose and hammered the stake down into the girl's chest. "I could say something cool and witty, but you really ain't worth the effort." She stood and dusted herself off. The boy was long gone.

Faith sighed and finished her patrol of the graveyard. She spent the next three hours moving from cemetery to cemetery. She even stopped by the Bronze for a quick look around. She had a soda and watched the people for a bit before calling it a night.

She made it back to the house at just after ten thirty. She pulled into the garage and climbed off. She spared a moment to stare at her car. The rear quarter panel was repaired and laser straight. The glass had all been replaced. The only thing she was waiting on was the front fender and the door. According to the website, she should have those by the first. She would be glad to get back behind the wheel of something that had balls. The Jeep with its inline six cylinder motor was lucky to be pumping out a hundred and ninety horses. It had plenty of pep, but to Faith, the thing was gutless as hell. She longed for her beast.

She shook her head and quietly walked into the kitchen, shutting off the lights and closing the door. She made her way through the silent house and up the stairs to her room. She stepped inside and began removing her hunting gear. She hung her jacket up on the back of the door, pulled her assault vest off and tossed it onto her bed. She took her body armor off and hung it meticulously on the mannequin in the corner of the room. She then draped the vest over it and gathered a pair of shorts and a tank top to wear after she got out of the shower.

Once she was clean, she tossed her dirty clothes into the hamper and descended the stairs to get something to eat, as was her routine. She was surprised to see the kitchen light on. She was suddenly wire tight. She quietly crept around the corner and peered in. Tara stood at the stove cooking something.

Willow was at the island chopping vegetables. She looked up at Faith and smiled brightly. "I hope you're hungry. Tara's making BLT's."

Faith nodded and moved to the fridge. "That'll work." She said, pulling a bottle of water out.

"H-How was patrol tonight?" Tara asked.

"Boring. Just some chick that was a serious throwback to the eighties. She was wearing spandex and leg warmers. Kept expecting to hear _Maniac_ by Michael Sembello at some point."

Willow giggled. "You know, the night we met you, that's kind of how Buffy realized he guy you were dancing with was a vampire. Cordy called him 'Disco Dave'. Thought the last thing he danced to was KC and the Sunshine Band."

Faith laughed. "I remember. I have no idea what the hell I was thinking with those pants." She sipped her water. "I burned 'em."

"Well…" Tara said. "M-my read in the landscape was that you were in a p-pretty dark place then."

"There's no excuse for Technicolor pleather. I don't care how depressed you are." Faith said. "Actually, I think I stole those pants."

"From who?" Willow asked. She was actually curious.

"Some girl I shacked up with for a couple of days in Lake Tahoe. She was this rich spoiled girl. Wasn't all that. Had a hell of a crib, though. She wore the same size clothes I did. Took a lot of clothes from her when I bailed. Why I snagged those pants, I'll never know."

"Well, in your defense, they did look pretty good on you." Willow said. She looked to Tara. "Her legs look like they were shrink-wrapped."

Faith sighed. "There it is again." She sat at the island. "So we gonna talk about this or what?" She looked from Willow to Tara. "I just wanna know how far to take it."

"You can take it as far as you'd like to." Willow said. "I'm attracted to girls. No surprise there. Tara here has always been a lesbian. And you?"

Faith shrugged. "I'm down with whatever comes my way. Life as harsh and dangerous as mine, you tend not to be picky."

Tara finished cooking the bacon and turned to place it on the platter with the rest. "We're both attracted to you, Faith. We see the genuinely good person you are." She looked at Willow. "Both of us."

The slayer sighed heavily. "But can you look past all the shit I've done? All the mistakes I've made?"

"I think inviting you to live with us shows that we already have." Willow said. "You've been a blessing around here. Despite working your butt off, you still take care of a lot of the things that need doing. You cook when we, well, Tara can't. You do a lot of the housework, you make sure that everyone is ready to face the day and you're a wonderful influence on Dawn."

"I'm not sure about that." Faith offered.

"She's a lot more confident because of you. You don't treat her like a child. That's a habit that Willow and I need to get out of."

"That and you're teaching her to defend herself. That makes her so happy." Willow said. "We could never have done that."

Faith shrugged. "I guess. I'm just…" She looked at the girls. "I'm scared. I'm always afraid of saying the wrong thing, doing the wrong thing. Things are going good today, but what will tomorrow bring, you know?"

"Tomorrow is tomorrow." Tara said, setting a plate loaded with sandwiches in front of the girl. "We're not asking for an eternal commitment, Faith. We just, well you said it best. Life is too short not to take advantage of a good thing."

"So let me make sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, what we're all talking about. Me, you and Red together. In a relationship."

Both Willow and Tara nodded. "In every way?"

"If you're comfortable with it." Willow said.

"Alright. I'm willing. But what are the ground rules?" Faith asked. "I've never done anything like this before and don't want any kind of surprises down the line."

"Well, first off…complete honesty." Tara said. "We can't have secrets from one another. There has to be trust. Without trust, it has never worked, it doesn't work, it will never work. Second, no jealousy. If I want to take you to bed, Willow, you _can't_ be jealous about it. The same holds for me and Faith." Tara looked at her. "That's pretty much all I can think of."

Willow nodded. "I think we should each try having a night with Faith alone. That way we can each get to know her on a more personal level and determine if there's any chemistry one on one." She looked at the slayer. "How does that sound to you?"

Faith shook her head. "Won't work."

"Why not?" Tara asked.

"Because the first time, we should all be in a room together. Not so much to share, but for all parties involved to know immediately if they can get over any kind of jealousy that might pop up." Faith said, looking at both girls. "Sink or swim."

"There is one more…request I'd like to make." Tara said, looking at Faith earnestly. "I never knew you when you were initially here. But I've heard from Willow here and from others that you tended to…" She was searching for the right word.

"That I was a slut?" Faith asked. She could tell it was an uncomfortable topic for the witch, but she let her largely find her own way.

"I was trying to say it a little nicer than that." The blonde said, sheepishly. "But yeah. I would really like it if you didn't you know…bring people home with you."

Faith smiled. "Have I yet?" She asked.

"Well, you did sleep with Spike." Willow said.

"After everything he did for you guys, you saying he didn't earn it?"

Tara and Willow regarded each and finally nodded their agreement. He did put himself in harm's way numerous times for Dawn over the last year. So he was deserving of some kind of appreciation.

"Yeah, thought so." Faith said. "I'm gonna level with you guys. I spent most of my life just moving around. Always moving from one thing to another. It was all I knew and at the time, it worked for me. It kept me from getting attached to something only to have to lose it again. And trust me, prison? Not much better. It boils down to this. If want what you've always wanted, you'll get what you've always gotten. All I've wanted was to get mine and get gone. And all I ever got was screwed over. I was in it for me. But over the last few weeks, I've been putting other people first. Just…trying it on for size. Trying to be responsible, trying to, to please other people. You know how people say a good deed is its own reward? Well, so far, from what I've been seeing, they're right. I look at the two of you and I don't see you judging me based what I've done. You only see what I've been doing. Same with Tweed, Xan, Anya and little D. You all see who I am, not who I was. That means a lot to me."

"We see the good you've done." Willow said. "I treated you horribly back then. I know that. I was really insecure back then."

"I could tell you were more confident in college. Don't get me wrong, you still hit like a nerd, but you had balls. I remember when I showed up at the college and you were sneaking around behind me to club me with your backpack. When you were in high school you would never have tried that." She lowered her eyes. "It's funny. You were wearing that black shirt with the cutesy little cartoons on the front of it with the tan sleeves and a cute ankle length skirt and boots." She shook her head. "I can't remember what B was wearing."

Willow smiled. "I'm sorry I hit you with my bag."

"No you're not." Faith said. "Besides, like I said. You still hit like a nerd. You just threw me off balance." She looked up. "But you've been working on the witch fu, though haven't you?"

"We try to practice as much as possible." Tara said. "She needs to learn control and f-focus."

"She did this spell one time that actually was pretty cool. It filled these caves with fog and we were able to get in and lay the smack down. It was pretty damn cool." Faith sighed. "I guess truth is, I don't wanna keep moving from one disappointment to another. If we can make it work, awesome. I'm willing to put in the wrench time. Just don't expect flowers and candy." She looked at the girls. "Mainly because I think it's a waste of money. Flowers die and candy…well, truth be told I'd more than likely eat it before you guys ever got any anyway." As the girls giggled, she went on. "But I dig on the candlelight dinners and the walks on the beach and stuff. Hitting the Bronze for a night of fun and chillin' on the sofa watching movies. Word or warning, don't do chick flicks. I watch a movie to be entertained, not to feel bad."

"Okay, no sad movies." Willow said. "What about…Disney movies?"

"I'm okay with most of 'em. You generally get happy endings, so I'm okay with that. Not a huge fan of Pixar, to be honest. The Shrek movies are cool. Except the third one. The only thing that had going for it was that Fiona was hot as hell as a badass rebel leader. And Puss in Boots was hilarious. Beyond that?" She shook her head.

"So what's your taste?"

"Action and Martial Arts flicks." Faith said. "No surprise there. I also dig on musicals."

"Musicals?" Tara asked, snickering. "I would not have pegged that."

"I don't care for the older stuff. No West Side story or My Fair Lady. And I absolutely hate Sound of Music. Don't get me wrong, it had its moments, but no. Love Rocky Horror Picture Show. Mainly just because it's hilarious as hell to see Tim Curry in lingerie."

"So it's not so much musicals as it is rock operas." Tara offered.

"I would say that but…I can't believe I'm actually admitting this, but…I couldn't stand Tommy. The only good track in that entire movie, at least to me, was Pinball Wizard, and then it's just because I kinda dig on Elton John. At least some of his more upbeat shit."

"Alright. To recap…" Willow said. "No sad movies, a handful of Pixar movies. Disney is okay as long as it isn't weepy. Lots of Martial Arts and explosions."

"And I love horror flicks, but those are more like comedies to people like me." Faith added.

"I'm gonna say this now." Tara piped in. "I don't do torture porn."

"Oh like, Hostel and shit?" Faith shook her head. "That shit blows. I'm not into that blood and gore stuff."

"Good." Tara said. "Finish eating, sweetie. It's almost time for bed. We've all got a busy day tomorrow."

Faith ate her sandwiches and sipped her water. "So what are your girls' taste in music?"

Tara shrugged as she cleaned up the mess. "I like pretty much anything. Not a huge fan of death metal or any of that loud hard grunting stuff. But some hard rock, classic rock, jazz, R&B. I even like some rap."

Willow nodded. "I like a lot of that stuff. I have to admit, I like modern pop. Katy Perry, Avril Lavigne, Brittney Spears. That kind of stuff. But I like rock, too."

Faith nodded. "Good. I listen to pretty much everything. Really dig on the whole classical music meets heavy metal guitar thing. Like what Trans Siberian Orchestra does. That really kicks ass."

"I like them." Willow said. "My mom and dad took me to see them at the Amphitheatre out in Oxnard a few years ago. They were really cool."

"Lost Christmas Eve tour?" Faith asked.

Willow nodded. "It was really loud, but really cool. I loved it."

Faith finished her sandwiches and put her dishes in the dishwasher. She trotted into the basement to swap laundry and followed the girls up the stairs.

"Faith? Wh-why don't you lay on the bed and w-we'll give you a massage." Tara offered. Willow nodded.

She shrugged and moved over, pulling her shirt and her shorts off. As she revealed her lean muscular form, the pair gasped sharply. Faith heard it and smiled, crawling up and laying on the bed. "Like this?"

"Yeah." Willow said. "That's just fine."

Tara went into the bathroom and got the scented oils that she and Willow used for each other and moved onto the bed by Faith's shoulders. Willow took a place near the slayer's feet. They both took some of the oil in their hands and began slowly working the muscles from top to bottom.

Faith moaned at the sensual and relaxing contact. "I'm not gonna lie, no one has ever done this for me before."

"Perks of having girlfriends." Willow said. "But this isn't a one way street, sister. I expect a nice massage in return with all these slayer muscles you got here." She worked Faith's feet firmly.

"Sure, Red." Faith said, smiling. "But you gotta be naked."

The redhead blushed. "Well, fair is fair." Tara giggled lightly.

Faith sighed. "I think I'm gonna like this." After she was thoroughly relaxed, Willow and Tara both climbed into bed on either side of her. She rolled onto her back and smiled, looking at each of the girls. Both leaned in and gave her a rather steamy and sensual kiss.

"Good night." Willow offered.

"Sleep tight." Tara added.

The three lay there a moment before realizing that they forgot to turn the light out. "I don't think any of us wants to get up." Faith said, sadly.

"Lumine terminantur." Willow said, motioning to the light switch. The bulb suddenly popped in the glass cover. "Oops."

Faith giggled. "Well, it _did _turn the light out."

Tara sighed. "It's not _terminate_ light, Willow. It's _turn off_ light. Averte lucem."

"Oh, gosh. You're right. I'm sorry."

"Don't sweat it, Red. I'll put a new bulb in tomorrow." Faith leaned over and pecked her on her cheek. She then settled in and was snoring soundly a few seconds later.

The others nestled in close, resting their heads on her shoulders, holding hands across Faith's warm stomach and tossing their slender legs over hers. All three women fell asleep with smiles on their faces.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Faith sighed as she stared into the mirror. "Man." She shifted the top of her costume a little. "I'm all for showing skin, but Jesus." She was showing an incredible amount of cleavage. "I really hope I don't have to fight in this." She shook her head. "How the hell did she keep her tits in this thing, anyway?"

Willow and Tara both weren't speaking. They simply stared at her open-mouthed.

"Ground control to Major Tom." Faith said. "Well? How do I look?"

The costume Tara had created was a spitting image of the comics. Her hair was teased and perfect as Wonder Woman's hair always seemed to be. Even the wide silver bracers looked spot on. Tara reached over and picked up the silver diadem with the large red star in the center. "Here. Put this on."

Faith took it and stared at it. "I cannot believe I let you two talk me into this." She leaned forward, letting her hair fall and slid the jewelry into place. She was careful to put it under her thick mane of dark waves. She then stood and adjusted it. "Okay." She looked at the pair. "What do you think?"

"I think you look incredible." Willow said, happily. "Tonight is gonna be so fun."

"I think you look like a true modern day Wonder Woman." Tara offered. "I like the idea of Diana having a little bit of skin art." She pointed to Faith's tattoo.

"Mommy Hippolyta would most likely not approve." Faith said.

"Most mothers don't." Willow said. "I suppose Tara and I should get our costumes on, too."

Faith moved over to the bed and sat down. "This should be fun."

The pair sighed and did their thing. Willow donned a skin-tight green body stocking with a gold firebird on the chest. She had a gold sash tied about her waist and knee high gold boots. She was a spitting image of Marvel Comics' Phoenix. "Way to go, Red." Faith offered, nodding her approval. "Showin' off the goodies without being slutty."

"I just hope I don't get a pimple." The girl said, running her hands along her outfit. She moved over and sat down beside Faith. "Wait until you see Tara. Gonna blow your mind." She took the slayer's hand.

Tara slowly opened the bathroom door. "I'm not sure about this. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but…" She stepped out into the room. The black bathing suit style leotard sported a large gold lightning bold on the front. The sash tied around her waist was a deep red and she wore black bicep length gloves and black thigh high boots.

Faith nodded. "Miss Marvel. I dig it. Besides that, what are you bitchin' about? You're showing less skin than I am."

"But this is a bit…" She adjusted her costume. "Tight."

"Looks good on you." Faith said, standing up. She turned Tara around and patted her rear. "Makes your butt look good, too."

"She's right, it does." Willow said. "I think we're ready."

The girls quickly made their way down to the Jeep and climbed in. Faith shifted in her seat. "I'm getting a Wonder wedgie." She said. "That's it. Next year I'm dressing up as like, Painkiller Jane or something."

Willow, from the passenger seat looked at her. "What does she wear?"

"Jean and a t-shirt." Faith said.

"My." Tara said. "How original."

"At least she doesn't spend half her time pulling her Wonder undies out of her crack." The slayer offered.

"You own a thong." Willow said, somewhat surprised. "I figured you'd be used to it."

"Thongs sit where they're supposed to. This kind of doesn't."

"Wah." Willow said. "It makes you look good. Deal with it."

Faith sighed and nodded. "It's just one night." She said softly to herself. The group arrived at the Magic Box to see it in full swing.

Xander moved about, dressed as a ridiculous looking pirate. Anya was wearing a red babydoll t-shirt, a pair of red and white striped short shorts and roller skates. "Damn." Faith said. "Is it just me or does demon look really good in that? Didn't know she was sporting those legs."

Both Willow and Tara nodded. "She is actually pretty." Tara said. "Time to go and see where the General wants us posted."

Tara and Willow immediately got dispatched to magical texts.

Giles looked Faith's costume up and down and sighed. "I thought we talked about this."

"I'm Wonder Woman, so sue me." Faith said. "I know it's a bit risqué, but look around. Kids are just starin'. The parents don't seem to care too much."

Giles had to concede that. None of the adults seemed to be too worried about it. "I suppose you're right."

"Besides that. I ain't wearing anything near as bad as what they'd see at the mall on any given Saturday." She took the heavy box he indicated and moved toward the basement.

She walked past the table, listening to Dawn talking to Anya. The teen was clad in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She had been dead set against dressing up. Faith envied the girl. "So what are you supposed to be?" She asked Anya.

"An angel." Anya offered back with a smile.

Faith had to stop and looked her over again. "An angel?" She said to herself.

Dawn simply shrugged. "Oh. Shouldn't you have wings?"

Anya shook her head. "Oh no, this is a special kind of angel called a Charlie. We don't have wings. We just skate around with perfect hair fighting crime. Where's your costume?" She asked moving away.

Faith chuckled. "Charlie's Angel. That's actually clever."

Dawn followed her. "Like I'm six years old? Halloween's so lame."

Anya looked somewhat disappointed. "But you get to dress up, and play games! Xander's gonna teach me a new one after work called Shiver Me Timbers. Ever play?"

Faith quickly moved over to stop the conversation, but Tara was there in the nick of time. "Uh, Dawn? Willow could use some help in magical texts."

The teen nodded. "I'm all over it." She said, quickly moving toward Willow.

Anya looked at Tara. "How 'bout you, ever play Shiver Me Timbers?"

Tara shook her head. "I'm not really much for the timber."

Faith laughed and moved on. It was definitely going to be an interesting night. "Faith?" Anya said, skating up to her. "We're running low on mandrake root. Check the basement." She shot out before skating off.

Faith nodded. "Don't blame me if we have this conversation over and over…" She began descending the basement stairs. "…and over…and over, and over." She hit the bottom and turned to the shelves to see Spike emerge from beneath the steps. "Oh! What's up, bleach?" She asked, moving to set the box down. "You should really look into getting a bell around your neck."

Spike grinned. "Come with a nice leather collar, does it?"

"Maybe get you one with little spikes on it?" She asked.

"As long as you're dressed in that you can do whatever you want to me." Spike said, raking his eyes over her. "That's a good look on you, slayer."

"Yeah, yeah. Get your fill horn dog. What are you doing lurking around down here, anyway?"

"Came through the tunnels." He held up a handful of vines. "Running low on burba weed. Stir it in with the blood. Makes it all hot 'n spicy."

"Sounds kinda gross. But hey, whatever tickles your tastebuds." Faith said to him.

"What? I was gonna pay for it." He said, defensively.

Faith gave him a skeptical look. "Uh huh."

"I mean, no. I was gonna nick it, 'cause that's what I do." He sighed. "I go where I please and I take what I want, and what's your excuse anyway?" He nodded toward the upstairs. "Didn't picture you for the customer disservice."

"I hear you. One-time deal to help out. And I mean straight time. No loop-de-loop mummy hand repeat-o-vision." She said. "Don't worry about the burba weed. I got it. Least I can do." She looked around and sighed. "Where's the mandrake root?"

Spike looked around and moved toward a shelf covered with jars. "Um…here." He pulled down a jar and handed it to her. "Only three to a jar. Tend to…go a bit wonky if you cram them too close."

She took it and nodded. "Thanks." She said.

"Feel like a bit of the rough and tumble?" Spike asked, looking at her with a smirk.

"What?" She asked, looking around. "Here?"

"Me…you." He said, softly.

"Um, I'm kinda taken now."

"For patrolling?" He asked.

"Oh." She said. "Can't. Promised Tweed I'd help out. Not that I don't see the appeal, because believe me. That's way better than this. I'll hook up with you tomorrow. We'll raise a little hell."

"Sounds like a plan. It's not like I don't already have plans. _Great Pumpkin_'s on in twenty." He said, turning away.

"Oh, you suck!" Faith snapped at him. "Later, Spike."

He waved as he moved into the tunnels. She trotted upstairs and held the jar out as Anya shot past. The girl stopped and looked at Faith. "I didn't know Wonder Woman had a tattoo." She said, pointing to Faith's arm.

"I'm the modern day Wonder Woman. She's a bit a rebel." Faith said. "You need anything else?"

"Giles needs help with bagging." She said, pointing to the counter.

Faith walked across the store to get stopped by a little boy dressed like a fireman. "Are you really Wonder Woman?" He asked her.

Faith knelt and put a finger up to her lips. "Shhh. Don't tell anyone. I need them to think I'm just in disguise."

"If you were really Wonder Woman you'd be super strong." He said, crossing his arms. "Are you?"

She took hold of the front of his shirt and lifted him from the floor like he weighed nothing. "What do you think?" She asked him.

"Wow!" He said, visibly impressed. She set him down. "I won't tell anyone." He said, happily.

"The Justice League thanks you." She said, patting him on the hat. She then moved over and stepped behind the counter. "Need a little help here?"

Giles stood busily ringing up a customer at the cash register. A long line of other customers waited patiently. "What happened to Xander?"

Giles worked furiously. "He kept poking me with his hook. I sent him over to charmed objects. With any luck he'll poke the wrong one and end up in an alternative dimension inhabited by a 50-foot Giles that squishes annoying teeny pirates."

Faith began bagging the items as he handed them to her.

"We've never been so busy." He said, his voice sounding a little tired.

"Actually, Spike had a really good idea. You know, maybe I _should _patrol." She said, quietly.

"Faith…you've been patrolling every night this week." He handed her another item. She took it and bagged it, handing it to the customer with a smile. "Besides, it's Halloween, it's the one time of the year that supernatural threats give it a well-deserved rest. As should you."

"Fair point." Faith admitted. "But what about costumes that take over your personality? Or, wee little Irish fear demons?"

"Yes, well, if anything calamitous should happen, history suggests it'll happen to one of us." He said, handing the customer their change.

"See…you had to go and say some shit like that, didn't you?" Faith asked. She bagged another item and handed it to the customer. "If anything does happen tonight, I am so blaming you."

"Bag now, blame later." Giles said, stressed out. Faith chuckled and went at it. The night flew by as the group did everything they could to make the night a success. Willow and Tara dazzled the little kids with small displays of magic.

Overall, everything went perfectly. As the last customers left, Dawn was there to hold the door for them. "Come again." She said, laughing weakly. She closed the door and leaned against it with a grimace. "Uhh! In a zillion years."

Xander was lying on his back, exhausted. "Store go boom." He waved his hook about weakly. "Arr."

Everyone mirrored his fatigue. Faith and Giles sat on the steps. Willow and Tara rested in a chair and on the edge of a table respectively. Anya happily counted the money behind the counter. "That was the most incredible thing I have ever experienced."

Xander lifted his head and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. Anya smiled sheepishly. "Well, except for _that_." If the group noticed the exchange, they didn't show it. Dawn walked across the room to join Anya behind the counter. "What you all did for me tonight…the astounding heaps of money you helped me…" Xander and Giles cleared their throats, simultaneously. "_Us _acquire. All I can say is, I hope we make as much tomorrow."

Faith looked at her. "Tomorrow?" She asked.

Anya nodded. "Post-holiday clearance." She said smiling. "The cornerstone of retail." Everyone groaned. Giles rose to his feet, with a grimace.

Faith shook her head. "Can't. Gotta patrol tomorrow night."

"You can take a night off." Anya said, sadly. "You'll be helping me make money."

"Yeah. And I'm gonna do that by making sure that demons and vampires don't eat your customers." She moved over and pulled a small bit of cash out of her cleavage. "Here." She counted out forty bucks. "Spike grabbed some burba weed from the basement."

Anya rang it up and handed Faith back a ten dollar bill. "I'll give it to you for cost."

"Thanks." Faith said, taking the cash and tucking it away.

"Right." Giles said, grabbing the broom and dustpan. "Brooms all around, then."

"Or I could whip up a jaunty self-cleaning incantation." Willow said. "It'll be like _Fantasia_."

"And we all know how splendidly that turned out for Mickey." Giles said, handing her the items.

"I think I'm a little more adept than a cartoon mouse." Willow added sadly.

"And you have more fingers, which is good, 'cause there's no need to wear those big white gloves to overcompensate."

Faith looked at Xander. "You know, if you had a real peg leg, you wouldn't just have a lame costume, you'd actually _be_ lame. Huge difference."

Anya and Dawn stood behind the counter, doing a little dance. Dawn grinned. "You do this every night?"

"Every time I close out the cash register. The dance of capitalist superiority." Dawn mimicked her movements.

Xander continued to watch the pair. "I'm gonna marry that girl."

Faith raised her eyebrow and smiled. She decided to have a little fun with him. "Dude. She's fifteen. And she's Buffy's little sister. Don't even go there."

He looked at her with a somewhat disgusted look on his face. "You're sick."

"Yeah, I know." She said. "Go for it."

Xander rose to his feet. "Hey, everybody. Can I, um…uh…there's something Anya and I…wanna tell you." He walked over to the counter.

Anya moved out to his side, holding a stack of bills. "Now?" She asked, quietly.

He nodded. "Now." He put his arm around her shoulders and turned to the rest of the gang. "We're getting married." He said, his voice brimming with happiness. The smile on Anya's face was electric.

Dawn's own grin grew wider. "Oh my god."

"Congratulations." Tara offered happily.

Willow stared disbelieving. "That…that's… wow."

Xander nodded. "It's a big wow."

Faith gave a small smirk. Giles furrowed his brow, looking on strangely. Anya turned to Xander. "I…I thought you were waiting for the right moment."

He looked down at her fondly. "I did." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her passionately. Dawn watched the pair intently. Anya giggled as they broke apart. "Here." She said, tossing the cash to Dawn. "Have some money!" She turned back to Xander and resumed kissing him.

Dawn chuckled and gathered the cash, stacking it on the counter.

Faith leaned over to Giles. "Seem a little shocked, there Tweed. You didn't know about this?"

He shook his head. "No." He turned to regard her. "Unless I blocked it from my memory." He glanced back at the kissing couple. "Much as I will Xander's vigorous use of his tongue." He removed his glasses and began to cleaning them.

Faith watched him and raised an eyebrow. "Is that why you're always cleaning your glasses? So you don't have to see what we're doing?"

He put his glasses back on and looked at her stoically. "Tell no one."

Faith shook her head and looked at the couple. "Giles, this is…we've gotta do something."

The group quickly closed up the Magic Box and adjourned to the Summers house for a close knit get together.

Anya held her hand out to show Dawn her ring. "And he said he couldn't imagine the rest of his life without me, and then he gave me this!"

Dawn held her hand, looking at the ring. "Which I'll be paying for the rest of my life." Xander added.

The teen grinned widely. "Can I try it on?"

Anya returned her happy expression. "Oh, absolutely not." The younger girl sighed, but wasn't surprised.

Giles and Faith came out of the kitchen carrying a tray loaded with red solo cups. "Where I come from, this sort of thing requires much in the way of libation."

Xander took one and held it high. "God save the queen!" He said, before taking a large pull.

Faith held her own cup and handed one to Dawn. "You get a Coke, straight up."

Dawn giggled. "That's my poison." She said, taking a sip.

Faith smiled and looked at the pair. "Sorry we couldn't do the big fancy. You kinda caught us with our parties down."

Anya shook her head. "Oh, that's okay. This is just the first premarital celebration. There'll be lots more. With gifts."

Faith hugged her. "God, I like you." Anya returned her embrace.

Tara and Willow appeared from the kitchen carrying big bowls of snacks. Of which Xander and Faith immediately availed themselves of. Tara nodded at Anya. "Sure, maybe we'll even have time to decorate for the next one."

Willow looked at her and smiled. "Why wait? Kasaritate Tahmli." A shimmer slowly moved around the room. As it passed, the area was suddenly decorated with beautiful paper lanterns and streamers. Dawn laughed with pleasure. Faith, Xander and Anya looked about in awe.

"Way to go, Red." Faith said, nodding. She turned to see Tara looking unhappy. She furrowed her brow.

"This is so much better than the way it usually looks. Thank you." Anya said, hugging the girl tightly.

Faith turned to Giles to see him sharing the disapproving look with the blonde wiccan. Tara sat the bowl down and went into the kitchen. Willow followed her. Faith moved to the door and stopped to listen to the pair.

The redhead stood at the counter, pouring potato chips into a large bowl.

Tara sat on the stool at the island. "The grocery store's still open, we…could've bought decorations there." Tara said, giving a nervous laugh.

Willow shrugged. "Why bother? These are perfect. And extra biodegradable-y. In a couple of hours, poof!" She set the chips on the island and poured herself a cup of soda.

"No, they're, they're great, it's just…why use magic when you can do something naturally?"

Willow smiled. "Well, you can fight monsters naturally, with sticks and stones. Don't recommend it though." She took a sip of soda.

Faith stifled a snicker. She had to admit, that was funny.

"It's different." Tara said, fiddling with her hands.

Willow furrowed her brow. "How?"

"Becau…" Tara sighed heavily. "Because you're protecting people. Keeping them from being hurt."

"Which makes them happy. Like pretty decorations made Anya happy." Willow offered.

Tara sighed again. "That's not the point, Will."

The redhead furrowed her brow and shook her head. "Why are you being like this?"

Tara looked her in the eyes. "This isn't about me!"

Willow was getting upset. "This is so about you. You're always coming down on me for, for doing magic that couldn't harm a fly. What's your problem?"

"Willow, I j-just wish that you would stop and think about what you're…" The girls stopped when Faith, who decided she'd have enough of this debate, moved into the room.

"Tara? Are you tired?" Faith asked.

The girl shrugged. "Yeah, a little."

"Red? What about you?" The redhead nodded. "Hand me your wallet." Faith said to Tara. The blonde did so without question. Faith took it and dropped it on the counter. "Willow, hand me yours." Willow, much like her and Tara, kept her wallet in her back pocket. She took it and likewise handed it to the slayer. Faith opened them both and sat down the cash she found in them. A total of forty seven dollars. She took her own wallet out and counted a hundred and ten. "Between the three of us, we have a hundred and fifty seven dollars. To not make the place look like it wasn't decorated by a kindergarten class, we'd have to at least spend this." Faith said, looking at the pair. "And it would have taken hours to get done, and hours to clean up. Now I don't know about you…" She looked at Tara. "But I'm not exactly loaded with free time as it is and it's not like I'm exactly rolling in cash all the damn time. A lot of what I make pays the bills." She held up her hand. "I know, it's my choice. But the fact remains, that any little bit we can save, we should. If that means throwing a little sorcery around to keep a little cash in our pockets for a rainy day, then why not do it?"

Tara shrugged. "I guess." She said, dejected.

"Look, Tara." Faith moved up to her. "This isn't just about Red using magic so much. There has to be something else to make you feel this way. What is it?"

"I-It's just…magic should be used sparingly. It shouldn't be the answer to everything." She looked at Willow. "That's all I'm trying to get across to you."

Willow furrowed her brow. "I don't use it for everything." She snapped. "Why do you…"

"Red? Calm down. You're pissed and you're defensive. No one's mad at you. You did a good thing here tonight. You made Anya and Xander happy, you saved us a ton of work and you saved us a hell of a lot of money." She took the cash and stuffed it back into the girl's wallet. "Go out and have drink with your friends. T-bear and I are gonna talk. Then we can have a chat, okay?"

Willow sighed and stared at Tara. "Okay." She said, taking her soda and the chips out into the living room.

Tara leaned her head down and began to softly cry.

"T-bear? Look at me."

The girl lifted her head and stared into Faith's eyes. "I'm just worried about her."

"You think she should only use her magic to save people? To keep people from getting hurt?" Faith asked.

Tara nodded. "Otherwise, she'll come to rely on it in daily life. She'll start using it more and more until she can't function without it."

Faith nodded. "That's valid." She gave Tara a moment. "What about me?"

"What…?" The blonde was confused. "What about you?"

"My slayer strength. I use it in my everyday life. I lift things at work that no one else can. I move things around that they used to have to use heavy equipment to lug. Should I stop doing that?"

"Well no, but there's a difference." Tara said. "Your slayer strength is a part of you. It's not something you can just…choose not to use. It isn't something you have to practice at. You can not use magic and just do things the right way."

Faith had to concede that. "Okay, fair enough. I'll give you that one." She sighed. "Let's say I find someone along the road that needs help with their car. They have Triple A and insurance, so it's no real detriment to them if they're rig doesn't get fixed. Just costs a little cash and a little time. It'll pretty much do nothing but make their day a little better." She smiled. "Should I just go on by because they don't really _need_ my help, or should I stop because it's the right thing to do?"

Tara bit her lip and peered deeply into Faith's eyes. She broke down the comparison. It made sense. Faith's automotive acumen, much like Willow's magic, was a practiced and honed skill. She could choose to use it or not. In the context she chose, Faith, if she indeed chose to stop, would do little more than make the stranded motorist happy. No harm, no foul. The spell Willow chose to use, was indeed harmless. Most of the redhead's spells seemed to follow the same pattern. She was merely trying to make things a little easier. "I suppose you're right."

"So why the fear of magic?" Faith asked her. "You get right down to it, Willow doesn't really use it all that often."

Tara did have to admit that. "It just…" She gave herself a moment. "Her first response to everything is magic."

"Is it?" Faith asked. "Everything?"

"No. Not everything." Tara corrected. "But you heard her tonight. She wanted to do a cleaning spell at the shop."

"Nothing wrong with that." Faith said. "Save everyone some time and energy. I for one, would have appreciated it."

"But magic shouldn't be used like that." Tara said, earnestly. "It isn't the answer to all of life's obstacles."

"No, it isn't. But if it can get the job done and not have any fallout, where's the harm? Should I just say screw it and quit my job because I'm doing things that are normally reserved for front loaders and pallet jacks?" Faith shook her head. "No. Is a nineteen year old girl the right tool for the job? No, I'm not. But I'm getting it done and I'm saving time and money doing it." She took Tara's hands. "I get that you're nervous about Red doing what she's doing. But just take the time to understand how she feels. Magic is something she's _good_ at. It's only natural she wants the chance to use it. Instead of crucifying her for it, help her. She likes the power it gives her. Telling her to stop using magic would be like telling me to not go slaying. It's a part of who I am, now. Just like magic is a part of who she is."

"I just worry." Tara said, softly.

"Yeah, I know you do." Faith said. "You wouldn't love her if you didn't. Just go easy on her. She's only ever used magic to help. You have to admit that. She's never done it _just_ to do it. It's always to make someone happy or to make things just a little easier. There's no harm in that, Tara. There never will be. Just be there to help her if she stumbles."

Tara sighed and stood, looking into the slayer's chocolate brown orbs. "You know how you say you're only good at two things?" With Faith's nod, Tara pulled her in and kissed her. "That's not true. I can think of one other thing you're good at." She smiled and moved out into the living room.

A moment later, Willow walked in looking a little confused. "Tara seemed to be a better mood."

"Yeah. Just had to explain some things to her." Faith motioned to the stool. "Have a seat, Red." She moved over to the fridge and grabbed a jar of pickles. She tightened the lid a little and took it to the island, setting it down. "Open that."

Willow shrugged and lifted it and tried to twist the cap off. She made several attempts and sighed. "Aperio." She said. The lid suddenly came free in a quick spin. She set the jar down and looked at Faith. "Okay, now what?"

Faith nodded and took the lid and again secured it. "Now do it without magic."

Willow sighed and tried, but couldn't get it open. "I can't."

"That's right, you couldn't." Faith said. "But did I once say you couldn't ask for help?"

Willow thought a moment and shook her head. "No, I guess you didn't. But what does that…"

"That's exactly what Tara's afraid of. What you just did. You gave a token try to open that jar and as soon as you saw it was going to be a little difficult, you immediately resulted to magic. You completely blanked your mind of other alternatives."

"So I have the magic, but I shouldn't use it?" Willow said, snidely.

"Didn't say that. I'm not sayin' that at all. What I'm telling you is what T-bears afraid of. Anything that's even remotely a challenge and you pull out the magic. I tried comparing that to slayer strength, but T-bear shot me down, and rightly so. My strength isn't something I can choose not to use. Your magic is. It's an ability you have to concentrate to employ. The problem you have is that you employ it too quickly."

"So I use a spell once in a while. I don't see what the big deal is."

"No you don't." Faith said. "And that's the problem. The idea of a cleaning spell in the store? Golden. Would have loved that. But it was shot down by Tweed. The decorations? Excellent. You made everyone's day and no harm was done. But what you did here was unnecessary. You could have asked any number of people for help and you didn't. You immediately fell back on the magic. You see what I'm getting at?"

"I should stop using magic and let everyone do everything for me?" Willow asked.

"Are you being this difficult on purpose?" Faith asked. "I mean…I remember you in high school, Red. You were never this obstinate. Now you're just…is it deliberate?"

"I'm not trying to be difficult, Faith. I just truly don't see what the problem is. If I have the ability to use magic, why shouldn't I?"

"Because just having something, isn't a good enough reason to use it. If you were home alone and had no one to help you, yeah. Bust a spell out to open your pickles. I'll give you the decorations. That was just genius. It saved time, effort and money. Win, win, win. Now, to be completely honest, I haven't seen anything that tells me you use magic for everything. The jar thing was just a test, but it made a point. Having magic, to me is like having the slayer strength. It's a part of you. It makes you who you are. But like my slayer strength, I have to be careful. I have to take constant care when I hug someone not to break ribs. When I shake hands, I have to be careful not the crush someone's hand. Or smash a glass, rip a door knob off…you get the idea. Magic is the same way. You have to be careful when you use it. Take an extra few seconds and think. Will my using this spell upset my girlfriend? If it will, don't do it. Talk it over with her. T-bear probably would have been on board with the decoration thing if you'd have just had a quick pow-wow about it."

Willow digested everything Faith was saying. She was upset at being admonished, but she calmed herself down and listened. "So…" She said, taking a deep breath. "Like when we were in bed together last night. The light bulb thing?"

"That's actually a really good example. Just using spells willy-nilly for you can be dangerous. Tara's got a hell of a lot of knowledge under her belt, but she doesn't seem to be extremely powerful. You're like…the flipside of that. You've got mad power, but you don't seem to have the knowledge and control. Now, yeah, it can be argued that practice makes perfect, and you're right, it does. But practice doesn't come with just throwing spells out and seeing what sticks. Just like learning to fight doesn't come with just walking around punching people. You have to train yourself up, first. Having all the martial arts skill in the world won't help you if you can't hit someone hard enough to hurt 'em. So you have to train your body as well as your mind. Otherwise it's a wasted exercise. Same thing with magic." She took Willow's hands. "Right here, you've got all the power in the world." She then tapped Willow's head. "But you've never been taught how to properly use it. You don't know where the power comes from and why. Tara wants to teach you that. She just wants you to lay off a little _until_ you get that understanding. She thinks you're being too impatient. Whether you are or not doesn't matter. It's what she thinks. Sometimes, you have to make that sacrifice for the people you love. If she wants you to ease up on using the magic, do it for her."

Willow looked into Faith's eyes. She turned to see Tara standing at the entrance to the kitchen. She had unshed tears in hers. Willow held her hand out to the girl. Tara moved closer, gently taking the girl's hand. "I'm sorry." Willow said, sadly. "I just like being able to finally be good at something."

"It's okay." Tara said. "Ever since I was little, I've been somewhat afraid of the magic I could do."

"I heard about what kind of bullshit your family pulled." Faith said. "Be glad I wasn't here to get in on that."

Tara snickered. "My family would have gone home in wheelchairs."

Willow nodded. "They almost did. Buffy really stepped up."

"All of you did." Tara said. "I was so happy."

Faith looked at the pair. "So are we good?" She asked.

"Yeah." Tara said. "We're good."

"I'll try to use a bit less magic. But I still think the decorations were a good idea."

Tara sighed and nodded. "They were. I just…I have to get over the fact that magic isn't a bad thing. And you were right. Certain spells can be used without causing an apocalypse."

"See, those kinds of spells I actively avoid." Willow said, smiling.

"Glad to hear it." Faith said, nodding.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: **Just wanted to put his out there now. I do not plan on writing about the musical episode. I will however reference it in future chapters.

The reasons for this are two fold. First, while I have had characters in other chapters spit lyrics from songs that largely don't exist in the real world, I, sadly, do not have the writing acumen to pen the lyrics to whole songs. A couple of lines is one thing, but I don't write music. Sorry. The second reason is because I personally don't want to read the _novelization_ of Moulin Rouge. It's a musical as is therefore meant to be watched, not read. Kind of like the novelization of Caddyshack. Why bother?

So to all my loyal readers, I do apologize. Given how much has changed in this season already, I can only imagine that Anya and Xander's songs would remain the same. Everyone else? Not so much. I really don't fancy writing an entirely new screenplay for the episode.

Thank you in advance for your understanding (and if you understand but are angry anyway, well...pitchforks and machetes can be purchased for cheap at any local hardware store. But please, not more than one torch per household. Remember, only you can prevent burning aspiring writers at the stake. ;-P)

**Chapter 16**

Faith, Tara and Willow all made their way back into the living room to mingle. Faith pulled Xander in and hugged him. "I can't believe it, big man. _You._ Getting married."

Xander smiled. "Me. Choking." He said, hoarsely.

"Oh, sorry." Faith said, letting him go. "I just…can't believe it. Seems like only yesterday you had to pay a girl to date you."

He laughed nervously. "Like I'd ever pay…define _date_."

Faith grinned at him and moved closer, pulling him down to whisper in his ear. "I'm just glad that no matter how many times she screams your name and you scream hers, that I got to hear you scream mine first." She leaned back and looked at him.

He gave another nervous chuckle, but said nothing.

"I don't really think _she'd_ mind, Willow." Dawn said, her voice somewhat mopey.

"That isn't the point, Dawnie." The red head said.

Faith looked over at them. "What are you two talkin' about?"

"Getting a tattoo." Dawn said. "Just a little one."

Faith shrugged. "Depends on what you want and where you wanna get it."

Willow and Tara both looked at her incredulously. The slayer returned their look. "What's the big deal? I've got one." She said, pointing. "Besides that. Skin art isn't the stigma it used to be. With shows like Miami Ink, LA Ink and Ink Master, tattoos have kind of become main stream. True, they used to be all counter culture and stuff, but now you have college graduate CEO's and soccer moms with skin art."

"But let's be honest." Giles piped in. "Dawn, you're fifteen years old. A tattoo is a permanent fixture that will be on your body until you pass away. It's not a decision to be made lightly."

"Tweed? I was fifteen when I got this." She said. "It's not that big a deal. And when she feels how bad it hurts to get one, she'll never want another one, trust me."

Dawn looked at her. "Does it really hurt that bad?"

"This one wasn't too bad. I'm told when you get them on the fattier parts of the body, it's not terrible. But over joints and shit?" She shook her head. "Hurts like hell."

"I was just thinking about one on the arm. Kinda like where you have yours." Dawn said.

"You given any thought to what you'd get?" Faith asked her.

"Not really. I just thought it would be cool."

"Well, tell you what. You keep your grades up, be good and when you turn sixteen, Red, T-bear and I'll sit with you and discuss it, okay?"

Dawn giggled and hugged her. "Thank you. You're so cool." Dawn turned to see Anya coming into the room. "Congratulations. You're very lucky, finding a guy like him."

Xander sighed. "Not as lucky as me." He kissed her on the cheek.

"So I'll see you guys tomorrow?" Dawn said, heading for the door.

"Whoa!" Faith took Dawn's arm. "Tomorrow?"

Dawn nodded. "Yeah. I'm sleeping over at Janice's, remember?"

Faith shook her head. "I didn't know you were goin' anywhere."

"W-we said she could." Tara said, softly. "I s-suppose we should have asked you first."

Willow raised her eyebrows. "That's tonight?"

Dawn looked at the redhead. "No. It's on the other Halloween." Dawn frowned. "Come on. You said I could."

"Uh…" Willow glanced and Faith. "Well…I know we did, it's just, you know, now with Xander's party, I…"

Xander waved a dismissive hand. "Ah, we're good. But you have to get us some extra gifts for our reception."

Anya nodded. "Yes, please."

Faith let Dawn go and made her way into the kitchen.

Willow continued to flounder. "I…I don't know. Giles?"

Giles stood with a pair of snack covered plates in his hands. "Uh, it's really not up to me."

Dawn whined. "Come on. It's four blocks away. I'll walk straight over. Not like I'm gonna be roaming the streets." She stared into Willow's eyes. "Please?"

Faith lifted the phone and dialed the number to Janice's house. It wasn't that she didn't trust the younger Summers sister, it's just that she was fifteen once not that long ago.

"Hello?" A woman's voice answered.

"Hi. My name's Faith. I'm a…a friend of Buffy's."

"Oh, yes. Dawn's told me a lot about you. She says you live there with them to help out."

"Yeah. I'm kinda lookin' after Dawn while Buffy's at work."

"That's wonderful. It's nice to see a girl your age showing such compassion."

"Thanks, Mrs. P. I'm just trying to make sure if you wanted Dawn to bring anything with her tonight."

"Excuse me?" Mrs. Penshaw asked, confused. "I thought Janice was going to be staying over there tonight?"

Faith smiled, suddenly getting the ploy. "That's right. She was. Dawn was saying something about wanting to sleep over there and I only caught the tail end of the conversation. Sorry about that."

"It's alright. You had me worried for a moment."

"It's cool. I'll talk to you later." Faith said, ending the call. She moved out into the living room. "Hey, D?"

Dawn was just about to the door when she stopped and turned to Faith. "What? It's getting late."

"Yeah, I know. Just need a couple seconds upstairs with you. Won't take long." The slayer moved over and began climbing the stairs. Dawn sighed and followed along nervously.

She entered Faith's room to see the girl rifling through a small chest of various slaying gear. "What's up?"

"Close the door." Faiths said, pulling out a few items. As the door latched she stood with a stake, a small bottle of holy water and a blue felt covered box. "Why'd you lie, kiddo?" She wasn't angry at the teen. She knew that sometimes this was a thing that could happen. She'd noticed Dawns nervousness over the course of the evening and wondered what it was all about. Now she knew.

Dawn shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Faith chuckled. She dropped the stake and bottle on to the bed and opened the felt box, pulling out a silver cross on a nice chain. She sat the box on the dresser and moved behind Dawn. "Lift your hair." The teen did as she was asked. "You forget that I ain't but four years older than you, squirt. And unlike Red and T-bear I wasn't the perfect little angel they were as kids. The whole 'tell your mom you're staying at my place and I'll tell mine I'm staying at yours' gag? That's been done to death." Faith secured the necklace and moved back around in front of the girl. "You gotta be more original than that."

"How did you…?" Dawn asked, surprised.

"Because I called Janice's house to make sure." Faith said.

Dawn suddenly got angry. "So you don't trust me?" She snapped.

"You're a fifteen year old girl with what amounts to no real adult supervision." Faith said. "Hell no, I don't trust you. But don't get me wrong. It isn't because you're an untrustworthy person. It's because you're fifteen and you're largely at a pretty tumultuous time in your life. Tonight's a perfect example. Chances are you were gonna go and hang somewhere you weren't supposed to be and do shit you weren't supposed to do." She shook her head. "I'm not knockin' it. I did a lot of that as a kid." She grabbed the stake and the small bottle. "Put these in your pockets."

"Why? It's not like I'm goin' anywhere." Dawn said, sadly.

"You see me preppin' ya for a night on the town, don't you?" Faith said. "Now take 'em. If I didn't want you goin' anywhere, I'd be ballin' you out with Red and T-bear, now wouldn't I?"

"So you're gonna let me go?" Dawn asked, taking the items and putting them in her jacket.

"No." Faith said. "I'm goin' with you."

"What do you mean?" Dawn asked.

"I'm gonna walk you to wherever your goin', meet who you're gonna meet and get a feel for what you're gonna do." Faith grabbed her own jacket and slid it on. It already had two stakes and a large knife tucked away.

"I suppose that would be okay." Dawn said. "You're actually kinda cool."

"I'm glad you think so." Faith said. "But I'm letting it out in the open now, squirt. This is the only freebie you get. You wanna go and be a delinquent, fine. But don't lie about it." Faith moved over and dug into Dawn's pocket and pulled out the coin. "And stop stealin' shit. Especially from the Magic Box." She said, holding up the gold dragon coin. "This is dragon gold. Anyone who spends it gets cursed with a wasting sickness. Basically, you start rotting from the inside out."

"Eww, gross." Dawn said, moving away from it. "I didn't know that."

"That's why you don't steal shit from a magic shop. Especially if you don't know what it does."

"What would someone want that for?" Dawn asked.

"It also has differing magical effects when it's immersed in certain potions. It can act as an ingredient substitute." Faith said. "That's why it's got a sixty eight dollar price tag." She put it in her drawer. "And just so you know, I've been goin' into your room and takin' the shit you've been snagging from the shop and returning it." She looked Dawn in the eye. "I know I ain't your mom and I know I ain't got the right to tell you what to do, but I can't imagine your mom bein' too happy with havin' a thief for a daughter."

Dawn had the good nature to look sheepish. "I'm sorry." She said, sadly.

"Done is done." Faith said. "But cut it the fuck out."

Dawn nodded. "I'll stop."

Faith took her shoulders and smiled at her. "See? Now _that_, I do trust. Come on. Let's go have a little Halloween fun."

Dawn nodded and smile. "Mmhmm." The pair made their way down the stairs. "Faith is gonna walk with me."

Willow and Tara both issued a sigh of relief. "Th-that's good. Have a good night." Tara leaned in and kissed Faith. "Be careful."

"I will." The slayer said. She then pulled Willow in and kissed her as well. "I'll be back a bit later. Gonna make sure there's nothing out and about to terrorize. Just in case."

"Fair enough." Willow said, smiling. "Have fun."

As the slayer and the teen left the house, Willow and Tara sighed contentedly. They then turned to see Giles, Anya and Xander staring at them with surprised expressions. "Surprise?" Willow said, meekly. Tara simply blushed.

"So…what exactly were you planning on doing tonight?" Faith asked, moving along beside Dawn. She kept an eye out as parents and children moved about trick-or-treating.

"I was gonna meet up with Janice and a couple of boys and just hang out."

"You gonna prank anyone?"

"Hadn't thought about it." Dawn offered, shrugging. "Didn't plan that far ahead."

Faith chuckled. "Yeah, you're a teenager alright."

"Come on." Dawn said, pointing down an alley. As they walked, Faith could feel Dawn stiffen nervously. "Did you hear that?" The teen asked, suddenly fearful.

"Yeah." Faith said, shaking her head. "Don't worry about it. Just a couple of kids necking in that shadowy area over there.

"How can you tell?" Dawn asked, moving to get a look.  
Faith grabbed her and pulled her away. "Because you suck enough face, you know what it sounds like. Give 'em some privacy, D. That's what they came back here for." She thumbed down the alley. "You're friend's comin'."

Dawn turned to see Janice heading toward her with a raised eyebrow. "Couldn't make it without a chaperone, huh?" The girl waved. "Hi Faith."

"Hey, Janice." The slayer said. "And no, she couldn't. I called your mom." At her panicked look, Faith grinned. "Don't worry, I didn't rat you out. According to me, you're staying at our place. But like I said to little D here, this is the only freebie you get."

Janice furrowed her brow and looked at Dawn. "Don't worry. Faith's cool. She just wants to make sure nothing happens to us. So where we meeting the boys at?"

Janice grinned. "The park. Where all the monsters gather on Halloween." She said in a spooky voice.

Dawn smiled and moved up beside her. Faith fell in step behind them and kept her senses stretched out.

A few minutes later, they reached the park. Faith sighed as she heard the crappy music blaring from the radio. A tall brunette boy with a white t-shirt and a dark blue overshirt stood on a swing. A boy, of similar age sat with two others boys and a girl, dressed in a letterman's jacket. He threw something at the boy on the swing, bouncing if off his skull.

"Nice shot." Janice said, moving toward the boy on the swing.

Faith immediately reached out and grabbed Dawn. "I don't think so, little D." She said, pulling a stake from her jacket.

"What…?" Dawn asked, confused. She didn't have to wait long to understand Faith's trepidation. The slayer was motion personified.

Faith shot forward, gripping Janice' arm and pulling her away from the first boy. As the girl flew away, the slayer's stake punctured his chest, dusting him. She spun, dipping into a sweep kick that dropped the boy with the letterman's jacket to his back. She plunged the stake into his chest and he likewise disappeared in a hail of dust. She rose back to her feet and looked around, making sure there were no more surprises. The rest of the kids in the park screamed and ran. Faith turned to Janice and lifted her from the dirt. "You okay?"

"What the hell was that?" She asked, dusting herself off.

"Vampires." Dawn said, her voice angry. She turned toward Janice, hands on her hips. "Did you know?"

The girl shook her head rapidly. "No. I swear I didn't know. Zack just said he was gonna introduce you to a friend." She looked at Faith. "How did you know?"

"It's my job to know. Let's go." Faith said, leading the girls away from the park, keeping her eyes open.

Dawn and Janice fell in behind her. Janice leaned in and whispered into her ear. "What does she mean it's her job to know?"

"You remember me telling you about my sister? How she was like, super strong and had these strange powers?" The girl nodded. She always thought Dawn was a little weird until she saw Buffy lift and carry the massive dresser Dawn kept in her room without breaking a sweat. She knew the old oak chest was heavy as could be. She and Dawn couldn't even get it to scoot across the floor. "Faith is just like my sister."

"Oh." The girl said. "That explains it. Where are we going?" She asked Faith.

"Our place. You'll go, check in with your mom and then I'll take you two to the Bronze." She turned and regarded the girls. "No reason your evening has to be a total loss."

"Dawn's right. You are cool." Janice said, happily.

The group arrived at the Summers residence a few minutes later. "Just let me do the talking." Faith said, before opening the door.

Giles sat on the sofa rubbing the bridge of his nose as Tara, Willow, Anya and Xander danced in the middle of the living room floor.

As they entered, everyone turned and looked on in surprise. "We thought you were staying at Janice's house." Willow said. "With…Janice."

"Yeah, change of plans." Faith said, happily. "Janice's mom decided she wanted a quiet evening alone. I figured what the heck. I'll play chaperone while you all get your party on."

Janice and Dawn both smiled. Faith turned and looked at the girls. "Why don't you go and check in with your mom?" The teen trotted into the kitchen with Dawn hot on her heels.

"Th-that's sweet of you." Tara said, hugging Faith. "I know you didn't wanna have to give up your night."

"I was actually gonna take the girls to the Bronze to let 'em have some fun. You two wanna come with?"

"You can if you want." Anya said. "Xander and I can go home and…"

"We…all know what you'd be doing." Giles said, holding a hand up. "Don't need the commentary to accompany the nightmares." He added quietly.

She smiled and took his hand. "Let's go." She said, pulling him from the home. "Thank you for the party." She said before leaving the home with a bewildered Xander behind her.

"Right. Well, I'm going to retire for the evening. You lot have a wonderful time." Giles said, rising from his seat.

"Why don't you come with us, Tweed? You're a good lookin' chap. I'm sure you could find some young co-ed to warm the sheets with you on a spooky Halloween." Faith said.

Giles snickered and pulled her in for a hug. "As fun as that sounds, I'll pass. But I do genuinely appreciate the invitation, Faith. Go, have fun. Take the evening off. You deserve it. Dance, be merry. Have a drink for me."

"My first Vanilla Coke is gonna have your name written all over it." Faith said, smiling at him. "I'll see you after I pick squirt up tomorrow."

"Very well. See you all later." He left the house with a smile on his face.

"Man needs to get laid." Faith said, softly. She turned to see Janice bouncing out of the kitchen. "We're good. My mom is letting me take the day off school tomorrow because I was so responsible."

Dawn looked at Willow, Tara and Faith with pleading eyes.

The three of them looked at each other and sighed. "Fine." Willow said. "But don't make a habit of it." The teen hugged all three girls happily.

"Come on, girls. Time to get our groove on." Faith said, moving to the door. She took her spot behind the driver's seat of the Jeep. Tara took shotgun with Willow, Dawn and Janice sitting in the back, ribbing each other good naturedly. "Buckle up back there." Faith said, fastening her own seatbelt.

They reached the club about ten minutes later. A sandwich board beside the door read 'The Most Terrifying Experience of Your Life' and had 'Karaoke' sprawled underneath.

"This could either be really fun or really painful." Faith said, grimacing.

"Let's give it a shot." Willow said. "Could be fun." As the group entered the club, they were all assaulted with a horrible rendition of _Miracle Man _by Ozzy Osbourne. The boy singing it was slaughtering it horribly.

"Oh, god." Faith said in disgust. "Somebody please shoot him."

Willow looked at Tara, grinning. She then looked to Faith. "You think you can do better?"

"Than _that_?" She pointed to the stage. "Yes. But then throwing an elephant into a combine would sound more pleasant."

Willow smiled. "Prove it. We'll watch from our customary table."

"Christ." Faith said, shaking her head. "Walked right into that one. Fine. What do you want me to sing?"

"Something really embarrassing." Dawn said. "I wanna see you blush."

Janice giggled. "Something dirty."

Faith sighed. "Right." She made her way up to the sound man while the girls all sat down and ordered drinks and food. She perused the songs available and found one that was just right. "They're gonna shit themselves." She said. "I want this one."

The mixer nodded, grinning. "You got it." He was looking forward to it.

After the young man got done butchering one of the prince of darkness' best cuts, Faith sighed and shook her head. "I can't believe I'm doing this." She said climbing the steps to the stage.

She strode out and lifted the microphone and tapped her foot to establish a rhythm. She drew in a deep breath and began singing the A Capella intro to the song she chose in a deep gravelly voice. "I'm too sexy for my love, too sexy for my love. Love's going to leave me." The drums and bass soon picked up. She whipped her jacket off and tossed it across the stage as she began strutting around, giving the people of the club a hell of a show. _I'm Too Sexy_ by Right Said Fred was both embarrassing as hell if you were the one singing it and if you've seen the video and read the lyrics, it was pretty damn raunchy.

The four girls laughed their asses off as Faith moved around on stage, making a complete fool of herself, but looking as though she enjoyed every minute of it. Tara leaned in to Willow. "W-we should sing something. I think it would be fun."

Willow looked at her with nervous eyes. "I have really bad stage fright. When I had to do the talent show a few years ago, I almost puked."

"D-don't worry. I'll be up there with you." Tara said, softly. "I mean…" She pointed to Faith. "Fair is fair."

"Yeah, Willow." Dawn said, happily. "I'm gonna sing."

Janice looked at her. "You are?"

The teen nodded. "I like to sing. Buffy and my mom said I'm pretty good at it."

"They're your family. They're supposed to say that." Janice said, raising an eyebrow. "I know for a fact I can't sing."

"Too bad." Dawn said. "You're singin'."

"I can't…"

"Gonna happen." The teen said, watching the slayer strut her stuff, shaking her ass as the lyrics called for it. "Get used to it."

Janice groaned as she turned back to the stage to watch the slayer finish signing.

"And I'm too sexy for this song!" Faith said, dropping the mike to the floor. The patrons of the club laughed and cheered as she left the stage. She made her way back to the table after grabbing her jacket. "There. How was that?"

"D-Did you have fun, sweetie?" Tara asked.

"Kinda yeah." Faith said. "It was pretty cool." The next patron, a somewhat cute blonde girl, stepped up and chose _Hit Me Baby One More Time_ by Brittney Spears. "Oh, Jesus." Faith said, dropping onto the sofa beside her girls. "This is gonna be lame."

The girl could sing, which was a plus, but the song itself was _so_ not Faith's cup of tea. Dawn went over, grabbed the song book and looked at it. Janice followed her and looked at the book over her shoulder. "I found mine." Dawn said. "What about you?"

The other girl sifted through them and sighed. "I don't know. I'm not much of a music person."

"What about this one?" Dawn asked. "It's pretty simple and it's fun."

Janice thought about it. "Okay. That'll work." She said, walking back to the table. "Good luck."

"What did she decide on?" Faith asked.

"You'll see." Janice said, smirking. "You're gonna laugh."

As the Brittney clone left the stage, Dawn ran up the stairs and lifted the microphone. "Now that the little girls have gone to bed…" She said, into the mike, getting a laugh from the audience. "Let's have some _real_ fun." She looked at the sound man and nodded. He hit the board and a solid rhythm guitar riff wafted out from the speakers throughout the club.

Faith raised her eyebrows and sat forward. "No way!" She watched the stage with a mix of anticipation and a small amount of fear.

"What song in this?" Willow asked. "It sounds familiar."

Dawn raised the microphone and belted out the opening lyrics to _If I Could Turn Back Time_.

Faith actually really liked the song. It was a guilty pleasure for sure but it was a track she dug. Granted, the music video had a lot to do with it… But she had to give it to Dawn. The Summers girl could sing. She had damn good range and did the Cher cut proud. "You go little D." She shouted.

As the song ended Dawn thrust her hands in the air. "Wrap that around your neck and bite it!" She said, before tossing the mike back to the sound man. She loved being the center of attention and the applause she received was wonderful.

As she got to the table, Faith stood and hugged her. "That was awesome, kiddo." She drew back. "Wrap that around your neck and bite it?"

Dawn lowered her eyes, looking sheepish. "It was the best I could come up with on short notice."

"Now worse than 'that'll put marzipan in your pie plate, bingo'." Willow said.

"Yeah, but she's a robot. She has an excuse." Dawn said.

Janice looked at the group and just shook her head.

After the performance Dawn just gave, there seemed to be very few takers. Tara looked to Willow. "Maybe we should go." She said, rising to her feet. "I already know what to sing."

"What did you decide on?" Faith asked. "Please be something good."

"I like it." She said, taking Willow's hand. "Come on."

The pair talked with the sound man and selected the track they wanted. It was a cut that they both really enjoyed. They nodded and took the stage, each holding a microphone. They stood, smiling at each other as the song began. Tara took the first verse, looking into Willow's eyes. _Loved By the Sun_ by Tangerine Dream was a good choice for the pair, in Faith's opinion.

The crowd immediately got quiet as the shy blonde's soft melodic voice rolled through the room, putting a whimsical pall over everyone. As they saw the display, there was absolutely no question in anyone's minds that the two girls on stage were deeply and irrevocably in love.

Willow took over the second verse and gave it everything she had. And compared to Tara, she was flat as a board. But what she lacked in ability, she made up for in pure determination.

When they were finished, the gathered patrons still seemed in awe. Tara and Willow stepped off the stage and to the table. People were still staring at them for a few more seconds before exploding into applause.

"I-I'm surprised these people even recognized the s-song." Tara said, sitting down.

Willow dropped down beside her and took a drink of her soda. "Me too."

Faith shook her head. "You guys were awesome."

"I was flat." Willow said. "I don't sing much."

"Probably a reason for that." Faith said. "But it wasn't bad. Better than the other jamokes that come in here."

"Alright. I'm gonna go and get this over with." Janice said. "Get my embarrassment out of the way." She got up and headed to the stage. "This is gonna suck."

The sound man queued up her song and let her get behind the microphone. She sighed and nodded to him. He hit the button and Janice fired off the first few lines before the music started. _Breathless _by The Corrs, was as run of the mill as it got. But at least it was a track that Faith actually didn't mind. Janice's tone wasn't bad and her range was pretty good. The crowd was into it and gave her a good amount of applause when she finished.

As the girl came back to the table, Faith immediately perked up. She furrowed her brow and began looking around.

"What is it?" Willow asked.

"There's a vampire in here." Faith rose to her feet. She turned to Tara when she heard the girl giggling. "What?"

"You're right." The blonde said, smiling. "There is a vampire in here. He's getting onto the stage."

Faith turned and saw Spike, clad in his black trench coat. It was suddenly incredibly obvious where Billy Idol got his look from. Spike curled his lip and began bobbing on the stage, pumping his fist as _Dancing with Myself _started to play. His cockneyed British brogue and his movements were spot on. The patrons were actually dancing as he belted his tune out.

Faith couldn't help it and stood up, grabbing Tara and Willow's hands. "We gotta dance." The girls smiled and nodded, getting up and following the slayer out onto the floor.

Dawn watched Spike and just giggled. "He's good."

"He a professional Billy Idol impersonator?" Janice asked. "He even sounds like him."

Dawn shook her head. "Not quite." She didn't go into details and Janice didn't ask.

As soon as he was finished with _Dancing with Myself_ he immediately busted into _Rebel Yell_. The crowd went nuts.

Dawn got up and dragged Janice with her and began dancing extremely silkily. Janice was awestruck. "I didn't know you could dance like this." She said as Dawn moved up behind her.

"Never asked." The younger Summers sister said. "You're not bad either."

Faith tapped her girls and pointed to the teens. "Check that out." Tara and Willow had to do a double take. "She looks good, I'm not gonna lie."

Dawn looked at Faith and winked at her and went immediately back to dancing.

After Spike finished his tracks, he left the stage to a cacophony of ovation. He waved and smiled and started when he saw Faith, Willow and Tara there to meet him. "Oh, hell. What brings you three here on bloody Karaoke night?"

Faith grinned widely. "Now? You." She said. "That was awesome."

He gave her a smirk. "Thanks, bint. You do any singin'?"

"I'm Too Sexy, Right said Fred." Faith said. "They wanted me to do something embarrassing and dirty."

"Yeah, that'll do it." He looked to the witches. "What about you two?"

"Loved by the Sun, Tangerine Dream." Willow said, happily. "I was horrible. Tara was fantastic."

"You weren't that bad, Red."

"Yeah, we get some bad voices in her most times." Spike said. "I stop in; spit a couple tunes and leave. Just to get my fix."

"You wanna hang out and have a drink with us? Plate of Chicken wings in it for you." Faith said.

"Sure. Why not?" Spike said, nodding. He moved over to the table with them. "What's up little bit?"

"Hey Spike." She said, happily.

"Who's your friend?" He said. "She looks good enough to eat."

"This is Janice. She's a friend from school and no you can't eat her." Dawn said. "This is Spike. He's a vampire. But he's cool. He doesn't try and eat us."

Janice cowered away from him. "Oh, god."

"Bad experience, I take it?" He asked, looking at Faith.

"Couple vamps tonight were trollin' for young neck. I had to smoke 'em both."

"Bloody babies." Spike growled in disgust. "Don't they know you don't go out on Halloween?"

Faith shook her head. "I'm guessing they didn't get the memo."

"Gives the rest of us hardworkin' undead a bad name." He said, flagging down a waitress. "You know…" He said, turning to Faith. "You should do another cut. Something by Pat Benatar or Joan Jett. You got the voice for it."

Faith shrugged. "What do you guys say? One more?" Everyone at the table nodded. She groaned and rubbed her face in her hands. "Alright."

She rose and went back to the stage, going over what she wanted to sing. She took the microphone and climbed up as the song began to play. The lilting guitar filled the club. Faith lifted the mike to her lips and offered her rough gravelly voice to the lyrics of _Hell is for Children_ by Pat Benatar. She actually loved the song, but with her, it always struck a painful nerve. Given her life when she was younger, it spoke to her and _of_ her. The message it sent was dark and sinister and was a testament to just how fucked up the world could be.

When the song concluded, she opted for something a bit more upbeat. As the heavy drum beat sounded out, Faith stood on the stage clapping her hands in time. "Time to get dirty, right?" She asked into the microphone. The snarling guitars added to the scene as Faith played air guitar along with it. The club erupted as she began singing _Do You Wanna Touch Me _by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

Again, the girls were up and dancing. Dawn dragged Spike over and danced with him, happily. He couldn't help but feel lighthearted. He was careful to keep his hands in non-questionable areas.

The girls stayed at the club until well after midnight before finally calling it quits and heading home. Faith dropped everyone off and took Spike back to his crypt. "Thanks for hangin' out with us tonight." She said to him. "It was cool."

He lifted the Styrofoam container. "Thanks for the wings, bint."

She looked at him long and hard. "You know, Spike. I know you don't really like the fact that you can't do what you used to, what with the chip and all. But…I really do appreciate you keeping an eye out. Helping me with patrolling and just takin' care of shit when I can't."

He stared at her and sighed. "Sadly, I've kinda gotten used to it."

"I'm not gonna lie to you and say that I'd rather have you as the evil as hell bad boy because, well, you deserve better than that. But I am, _genuinely_ sorry for you. Like I said before, you got a little piece of tech in your head keeping you from being you." She shook her head. "That's something that, no matter how good the intentions are, no one has a right to do. And I think the initiative crossed the line when they put that chip in your head."

He regarded her whimsically. "You know…the Glinda's are right lucky to have you, you know."

"I'm lucky to have them." She leaned over and pecked him on the lips. "Have a good night, Spike."

He smiled at her and climbed out of the Jeep. "Take care, slayer." He said, happily.

She watched him walk back to his crypt and pulled away heading home to the beautiful women that she had waiting there. She was in a really good mood, despite being tired as hell.


	17. Chapter 17

**Author's Note: **The events of the episodes in the season may be a bit out of order. And some episodes might be skipped entirely. This is due to the effect Faith has on the people and events that take place and Buffy's absence. I will endeavor to take on the more interesting and humorous episodes.

Just wanted to clear that up.

**Chapter 17**

Faith sighed as she strolled along the alleyway. "God, what I wouldn't give for something to kick the shit out of."

"Please…" She heard a man's scared voice from around the corner. "Don't hurt us. I'm sure we can work something out." She trotted down the alley and peered around. A middle-aged couple stood clutching each other as two men stood sneering at them. One of the men had the woman's purse and was rifling through it.

"A-A deal of some sort." The woman said, terror in her voice. "Anything you want."

"Always kinda wanted a puppy." Faith said, crossing her arms. Everyone turned and looked at her. She smiled. "Oh, sorry. Guess you weren't talking to me. My bad." She shrugged. "Oh well. Since I'm here…" She rushed forward and put a hard boot into the man holding the purse. He was hurled back against the brick wall, crumpling to the ground in a heap.

"Christ, lady." The other man said, suddenly fearful.

Faith cocked her head. "Huh. A mugging. That's new. I mean normally it's all about the blood and the horror, but a good old fashioned mugging?" She lifted the purse and tossed it back to the woman. "Kinda sweet, actually. Well, probably not for you two." She pointed to the street. "There's a bus stop just around that corner there. It's…" She looked at her watch. "Eight seventeen. Next one comes by at about eight twenty five. Takes you to the transit center. There are usually a couple of cabs waiting. Have a good night. You guys need change for the bus?"

"N-no." The man said, pulling his wife along. "We're fine."

"Alright. Have a good night." She said, smiling. She turned to the muggers. "Where were we?"

The man that she kicked rose to his feet, shakily. His partner checked him over and looked at Faith and ran at her. She stepped forward and stiff-armed him in the chest, throwing him back into a pile of debris. The first of the pair lunged at her. She caught his fist and held him a there a moment. She then spun him about and gripped his hair, pulling his arm back behind him. "Not too sweet for you losers either, huh?" She asked, holding the man there. She saw the second attacker again get to his feet. "Come on, rush me. It'll be funny."

He snarled and moved to lunge at her when a black and blonde flash slammed into him, knocking him to the ground.

"Aaaagh!" Spike growled, gripping his head. "Bloody hell."

Faith chuckled and pushed the mugger into the wall, knocking him cold. She then moved over helped Spike to his feet. "You okay?"

"Ask me when my head stops getting hit with a bloody axe." He said, his voice pained.

"They were humans, bud."

"Yeah, caught that." He said. "Sodding…" He looked at her. "You'd think if the government was gonna put a chip in my head, they'd at least make it so I could attack criminals and that sort."

"Oh, yeah. Because mugging deserves the death penalty." Faith said. "Sorry. Just have to get your rock off fighting demons and vamps."

Spike bobbed his eyebrows. "There are other ways."

Faith pulled him down and pecked him on the cheek. "That is very true. But sadly, I'm no longer on the menu, there bleach."

"I know, I know." He said. "It's early, yet. Wanna go grab a drink and a dance at the Bronze? Make me want what I'll never have again?"

"You are a glutton for punishment, aren't you?" She asked him.

"I was with Dru for like, a century and change." He admitted, falling in step beside her.

"Hell with that." Faith said. "I've seen Drusilla, well pictures of her. She was a knockout. No, her I got. Whimsical nutjob, but probably a beast in the sack."

"The stories I could tell…"

"Wish you wouldn't." Faith interrupted. "Like I was saying, Dru I got. It's Harmony Kendall that baffled me."

"Oh, don't let that ditzy air-headed exterior fool you. That girl was a hell of a seductress when she wanted to be. Give old Cordelia a run for her money when she got goin'."

"Seriously?" Faith asked as they approached her newly repaired Plymouth. "She always seemed kind of…generic to me. One eight hundred blonde." She unlocked her door, climbed in and popped the lock for him.

"There were moments when I wanted just to stake her and be done with it. Woman drove me crazy."

"Then the tits came out and all reason fled, huh?" At Spikes sad nod, she chuckled. "Don't feel bad, big guy. That just makes you as human as the rest of the male population."

"Oh yeah, kick me when I'm down." Spike said. "You have any idea what I was like as a bloke? A simpering, bad poetry writing wanker. That's what I was. A bloody pillock with mummy issues." He snarled. "Gettin' turned was the best thing ever happened to me."

"You know…" Faith began. "I never really got the chance to ask Angel. But, what's it like being a vampire?"

"Gotta be different for everyone, I suppose. The four of us…Dru, Darla, Angelus and me, we were the scourge of Europe, bint. For decades we just moved from place to place, not a care in the world." He looked at Faith. "You know…I heard about what you did to the Scoobies before you got straightened out. Some fine work, that."

Faith sighed heavily. "Not real proud of that."

"Of course not. You're not evil, love." Spike said, smiling.

"Maybe not. But in those days, I definitely wore the uniform."

"No you didn't, slayer. You were no closer to evil than Buffy ever got."

Faith was surprised by that. "You can't mean that." She couldn't wrap her head around the statement. "Buffy was a hero. Dyed in the wool."

"Plenty of evil heroes, love." Spike said simply. "Good and evil is all about perception, slayer. Take a look at your military. To the American public, largely, our boys go over and be all patriotic and heroic. Liberating countries from the evil dictator. But in a lot of those countries, the citizenry doesn't see it that way. They were brought up that what they believe is right. The people in charge make the laws. They're the people that are right. Now there's a big bad army storming in, dropping bombs and gunnin' people down. Looking at it from their point of view, who's evil now?"

Faith pulled to a stop outside the Bronze and stared at him. "I keep forgetting you're like, ten times older than me."

"I was around in World War 2, slayer. Germany thought they were right. Japan thought they were right. Italy thought they were right. Up until the late eighties, Soviet Union thought they were right. But take a read in your History texts. Blokes like Hitler, Hirohito, Mussolini, and Stalin. They were as evil as they come. But certain people paint these men as heroes. If we listen to them, America was the villains. Saw a lot of people who were gettin' ground under by these blokes turn around and praise them when the red, white and blue war machine came callin'."

"But that doesn't mean Buffy was evil, Spike. She was a lot of things, but she wasn't evil."

"Never said she was. I'm only sayin' that you weren't. Buffy had a dark streak, slayer. Don't for a moment think she didn't. Her tenure as the guardian of Sunnydale was just as rocky as yours."

"I suppose."

"It's the fine line you walk. You aren't human and you're not demon. You aren't a part of the world anymore. Yeah, you can live life and touch that normalness but you'll never truly have it. You embrace what you are. You get a rush out of it. That's what makes you a better slayer. You know what you are and don't try to hide from it. Buffy could never truly come to grips with it. She always hoped that she could be a normal girl and just…slay on the side. You and me both know it doesn't work that way."

"I think that's what makes Buffy a worse slayer, but made her a better human being." Faith said. "She was better with the day to day."

"Maybe back then. But I can tell you this. I've known her a while. Past two years I was a pretty heavy part of her life. Not all friendly, I admit. She was good with the whole life as a teenager bit. But this whole life as an adult would have probably killed her. You're handling it just fine. I can see you care a lot for little bit. You definitely got the warm tinglies for Willow and Tara. Seems like the only one you can't seem to get along with…" He point at her. "Is you."

Faith just stared at him. "I don't think I like you being smart. It's creepy."

"Well it's not like I can bite you. Gotta do something to piss you off." Spike said, climbing out of the car. "Come on. Let's go in and get something to drink and play some billiards."

She nodded and followed him in. "You know, I've been meaning to tell you something." She said as she paid the club's cover. "You do have one hell of a singing voice. Not a bad dancer, either."

"Not too bad yourself, slayer." He said, making his way toward the pool table. "You fellas about finished?" He asked, giving them a flash of fangs. "Please say no." The pair of teenage boys dropped their sticks and ran out of the club. He began racking the balls. Faith came back over with a pair of drinks. "You wanna break?"

She took a sip of her soda and nodded. "Sure." She said, spinning the cue in her hand. "I gotta admit. Seeing those Fyarl demons dance was hilarious."

"They did good backup vocals. What with the grunting and the snarling." Spike said, watching as Faith broke, sending balls in every direction.

Two of the solid balls sunk into the corner and side pockets. "I'm solids, apparently." She said.

"Was it just me or did big daddy Sweet have a good vibe?" He asked.

"I kinda dug on him. Though the look on his face was priceless when he found out that Xander was the one that summoned him and not Dawn." Faith laughed. "Would have been kinda funny to see Xan as an underworld princess."

Spike laughed. "Would have served him right."

"I gotta agree with you there." Faith admitted. "It's what he gets for grabbing random shit in a magic shop and just using it without fully knowing what it does." She pulled back and gave Spike his turn. "Did give him and his woman some pause for thought. Feel kinda sorry for Tweed, though. Both Xander and Anya dumped baggage on him about how they're starting to have second thoughts. He told them to take a break on the wedding plans and talk out their relationship more."

"Probably a good idea." Spike said, nodding. He sank a shot and moved around the table. "Personally think they're rushing a bit. Only reason Xander is with her in my opinion is because the boy can't seem to get any from anyone else and he doesn't wanna let his party piece go."

"As disturbing as that is, I'm inclined to agree. I think they're all wrong for each other. I mean Anya is cool. I think she's funny as hell, but being married to her would just suck. I'd fuckin' kill her if I had to stay with that for rest of my life."

"Not much for commitment, huh?" Spike asked.

"Oh, it's not that. I find the right person and I can see it happening. But it's gotta be right, you know. What I got with Red and T-bear? It's good. It's really good. I mean we haven't done the ditty yet, but we're working up to it. I don't find myself missing the sleeping around. I'm just happy living in the moment and not sweating what tomorrow brings."

"That's how I lived everyday when I was turned. Hell, I still do."

"It's a fun way to live, it really is. Some days it sucks, though." The pair played their game, danced to a couple of songs and had a few drinks.

"This was nice, slayer. Thanks." Spike said as Faith dropped him off at the graveyard.

"How do you keep from getting thrown out of the crypt?" She asked. "Always kinda wondered."

"No security on the property. Given that most of the people buried her died over fifty years ago, no one comes and visits the graves." He shrugged. "No one cares what's here. It's just kinda forgotten."

Faith leaned over and pecked him. "I may not be willin' to fuck ya. But I'll never forget ya, Spike."

"Appreciate that, Faith." He said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "See ya later."

She watched him stroll across the cemetery and looked at her watch. "What the hell." She said, driving toward the Doublemeat Palace. She pulled up in front and turned her car off. She pulled her cell out and called the house.

"Hello?" Dawn answered.

"Hey little D. I was wondering if you girls wanted anything from the DMP?"

"Ooh, yeah. I've been thinking about a Doublemeat with bacon. Just a second." The teen turned and shouted into the living room. "Either of you want anything from the Doublemeat Palace?" Faith couldn't quite hear their responses. "Salads." The girl offered.

"Cool. I'll bring double B home with me." Faith said, ending the call.

She knew Buffybot would be getting off in about twenty minutes. She went inside and saw the bubbly blonde robot standing behind the cash register with a bright smile on her face.

"Hi Faith." She said, waving. "Welcome to the Doublemeat Palace. How can I help you?"

"Hey, double B." Faith said, getting to the counter. "Gimme two of those Doublemeat Medley combo meals. And large that up for me. And gimme two salads, no drinks. One with Thousand Island, one with Ranch. Better also give me Doublemeat with cheese and bacon, but no no lettuce or onions. Gimme onion rings instead of fries and cokes for all the drinks."

Buffybot repeated the order back, word for word. "Is that everything?"

Faith nodded, pulling cash out of her wallet. She paid for the food and took the little number. "I'll give you a ride home."

"Okay." Buffybot said, happily. "Your food should be ready in just a moment." The bot moved about the restaurant, obviously taking pride in her job.

Faith found it kind of funny. Another employee, a young man barely out of high school moved over to her. "You and her friends?" He asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"Well, she's really cute." He said, watching Buffy work.

Faith tried really hard to hide her smile. "Yeah, she's pretty hot." She thought about what to say and decided that she was going to have some fun with him. "You thought about askin' her out?"

"That's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about. Is she, you know, single?"

Faith grinned. "She was…seeing someone, but it turned out she wasn't his…model."

If the boy caught the innuendo, he didn't show it. "So they're not seeing each other anymore?"

"Not so much." Faith said. "Looks she's really nice. Loyal to a fault. A little eccentric, but if you can get her batteries charged, she'll be all over you like a hobo on a ham sandwich."

He brightened up. "So…what does she like to do?"

Faith watched the girl. "Well…it's obvious she likes her job."

He nodded. "She's a machine here at work. I mean, she never slows down. She doesn't take her breaks and when she does, she just sits in the breakroom and stares at nothing. It's a little weird."

Faith chuckled. "Yeah her brain has trouble switching off. She's like a computer sometimes. She'll just…go into powersave mode I guess."

"I have friends that do that. Just ignore you when they're spacing out." He turned and offered his hand. "Daniel, by the way."

"Faith. I'm serious. Try asking her out. Worst thing she can do is say no. I can guarantee she won't be offended."

Daniel smiled and nodded. "I'll give it a shot." He stood a moment longer and moved over to the robot.

"This is gonna be good." Faith said, grinning.

"So um…Buffy." He said, nervously.

"Yes. That's my name." The bot said. "And your name is Daniel."

"Yeah, so listen."

Buffybot frowned. "Isn't that what I was doing?" She turned and stared at him full on, putting the broom down that she was holding. "Maybe you think I wasn't listening because I was not facing you directly. I am sorry for your confusion. Now you have my undivided attention."

The boy seemed somewhat flabbergasted. "I uh…um." He chuckled. "You're kinda peculiar, you know that?"

"How so?" She asked, cocking her head innocently.

"I was wondering of you would be willing to, you know, go out with me sometime? Maybe go and grab a cup of coffee or something."

Buffybot stared at him a moment. "Like a date?"

"Well, yeah, kinda. I mean, no pressure. I just think you're kinda cute and these past few days I kinda like the things you say."

"Dates are fun." She said, smiling.

"So you'll go out with me?" He asked again.

"I like dates. I'll go on one with you." Buffybot said. "That would be fun."

"Okay. Cool." He said. "Yeah, so. I'll uh…when is good for you?"

Faith stepped in to make sure it wasn't rushed. "She's got a couple things to take care of, first. Say…Saturday?" She asked.

"Saturday is a weekend." Buffy said, grinning. "We both had that day off."

Daniel nodded. "Okay. So I'll meet you Saturday at the Espresso Pump at, like, seven?"

Buffybot returned his nod. "It's a date." She said, offering her hand. He took it and like a gentleman, kissed the back of it.

"I can't wait." He said, whimsically.

"But…you have to. Today is only Wednesday." Buffybot furrowed her brow. She looked to Faith. "It is Wednesday, right?"

"Yeah, B. It's Wednesday."

Daniel chuckled. "Really peculiar." He said, moving off to finish his work.

"You have no idea." Faith said, quietly. "Look at that, B. You're first date." She patted the bot on the back. "Go ahead and get your work done and we'll get outta here."

The robot went back to her duties, performing them meticulously without error or deviation. Soon the pair left the restaurant with dinner in tow and headed for home.

Tara and Willow were sitting at dining room table with books strewn about the surface. "You two look in deep research mode." Faith said. "And research requires food." She sat the salads down and handed the Thousand Island to Tara and the Ranch to Willow. "Robo B here has an announcement to make."

"What announcement?" Willow asked.

"What announcement?" The robot repeated.

"About Saturday. You and Daniel?" Faith prompted.

"The date?" Buffybot asked for clarification.

"Yeah." Faith turned back to the redhead. "Double B has a date this Saturday with a boy from her work."

Tara smiled, but Willow suddenly looked horrified. "Oh, no." She looked at Buffybot. "She can't go on a date."

Faith furrowed her brow. "Why not?" She looked the robot up and down. "What's wrong with that?"

"Beyond the fact that she doesn't have the human interaction skills for a date? How about the fact that she can't drink or eat? How about the fact that she's programmed for combat and customer service?" Willow took the Buffybot and sat her down. "She's not a real girl, Faith. You have to remember that. She may look like Buffy, but she's not."

"So what? This boy likes her. Thinks she's funny and cute. She's been interacting with him for days and he likes how she behaves. Thinks she's a little peculiar, but he digs on it."

Willow buried her face in her hands. "This…you're not getting it. She's a robot, Faith. Not a girl."

Faith furrowed her brow. "Why don't you try being a little more condescending there, Red. I'm not quite sure I get it." She snapped. "I'm not stupid. I get that she's a robot. But that don't mean we gotta treat her like shit, you know?" Faith looked at Buffybot. "Do you wanna go on this date with Daniel?"

"I think it sounds like fun." The blonde said happily.

"Then that's that." Faith said, looking at Willow. "We'll just have to make sure she understands how a date works."

Willow sighed heavily. "It's not like that's something I can program in."

"No it isn't." Faith said. "And no offense to either of the two of you, but I'm betting neither of you has had a boy take you out."

Tara shook her head. "I don't think I've ever even been in a room with a naked man before."

"Oz took me out several times." Willow said, somewhat huffily.

"Taking you the Bronze while his band plays on stage doesn't count, Red." Faith said.

"Oh." Willow offered, dejectedly.

"Don't sweat it." She looked at Buffybot. "You have tomorrow night off, right?"

"I work from six AM until two PM. For the breakfast and lunch rush. Those are our peak hours and you need to make sure you can move swiftly, efficiently and effectively. A good worker is the key to a good business." The bot offered with a customary smile.

"Good." Faith said. "Because tomorrow night. You and me are going on a date."

"Dates are fun. I like dates." The bot said with a grin.

"So I've heard." Faith said. "Go ahead and get ready to close down for the night. Make sure to put your uniform in the hamper."

"Okay." Buffy said, heading upstairs.

As she left, Willow turned back to Faith. "He's going to find out she's a robot."

"So what if he does?" Faith said. "Ain't the strangest thing walkin' around out there. Plus he's a teenage boy. Like he's gonna give a shit. She's hot and willing. Sweet."

Tara couldn't help but giggle. "That's actually pretty accurate. Most boys really don't seem to care beyond what a girl looks like."

Faith moved over to the stairs. "Hey, little D! Dinner." She said, holding the bag up.

The teen's door flew open and the brunette came thundering down the stairs. She snatched the bag and hugged Faith. "Thank you."

"Got you a big ass order of onion rings instead of fries just to change it up." Faith explained.

"Pickles and tomatoes?" Dawn asked.

"Hold the lettuce, hold the onions." Faith added. "Got you a coke, too."

"Awesome." Dawn said, sitting down at the table. "Any luck?" She asked the witches.

"What's all this?" Faith asked as she tucked into her chicken and beef burger.

"Well, since there's no big evil a-brewin', we're trying to find a spell that will de-ratify Amy." Willow said.

"But it's p-pretty slow going." Tara said, between bites of her salad.

"Have you guys tried getting Tweed in on it?"

Willow tapped a couple of books. "These are his contributions."

Faith shrugged. "You'll get it figured out." She finished her burgers and burped into her hand. "I don't know if it's real meat, but I like it."

"Don't ever say that again." Dawn said, past a mouthful of food. "Ever."

Faith chuckled and sipped her coke. "Well, I know what you thought after you saw that Discovery Channel special on hot dogs."

"Leave me to my illusions and tastiness, dammit!" Dawn snapped.

Faith continued to snicker, but said nothing else. Truthfully, she wasn't sure she really wanted to know either.

Some days, ignorance _was_ bliss.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Faith stood in front of the mirror and stared at herself. She was definitely not used to wearing what she was currently. She had on a pair of nice slacks that were just a touch snug in the behind to show off her butt. She honestly didn't own a pair of pants that did otherwise. Her shirt was a nice pale blue button down affair with a black blazer over the top. She'd decided against a neck or bowtie. She was going for elegant, not formal. Tara had taken her hair and braided it for her to keep it away from her face. Her boots had been polished to a high mirror shine.

She'd applied her makeup – a bit of eyeliner, some eye shadow, a bit of blush and bright red lipstick – before dressing. She nodded to the girl in the mirror. "As good as it gets." She picked up her keys and her wallet and left the bedroom, walking down the stairs. "How do I look?" She asked Dawn.

The teen turned from the television as she sat on the sofa and looked the slayer up and down. "You look good. Kinda butch for you."

"Well it was either this or having my ass shrink wrapped in leather or denim and a hootchie shirt." Faith said.

Willow came walking out of the kitchen. "I still think this is a bad idea."

"She should be allowed to have some kind of a life, Red." Faith said. "And are you sure about the not being able to eat or drink thing?"

"I actually went through her thoroughly last night. I've never really looked that closely. Apparently Warren did a pretty good job putting her together. She _can_ eat and drink, she just doesn't need to or have a specific desire to."

"Wow." Dawn said. "How'd you miss that?"

"Look, as much as I hate to say this, Warren is a lot smarter than I am when it comes to robotics, okay? This isn't a pathetic little battlebot geeks build in their basements. We're talking full-on Data action. Not quite as self aware, but still."

"Yeah, I was gonna say. Robo B is nowhere near as advanced as Data. I mean, she doesn't have a positronic brain, does she?" Faith asked.

Willow and Dawn both just stared at her. "I'm actually surprised you know what a positronic brain even is." Willow said.

"Hell, I'm surprised she knows who Data is." Dawn added.

"I did own a television when I was little, twerp." Faith said. She turned back to Willow. "So she can eat? What happens to it?"

"It's actually really fascinating. The food is actually broken down. The natural oils of anything she eats helps lubricate her servos and systems. The liquid she consumes is recycled and used for cooling. And she can expel it through…natural means."

"She can piss and shit?" Faith asked.

"More or less. She was built to be anatomically correct." She looked at Dawn. "You didn't need to know that."

"Trust me, I'm repressing." The teen said.

"Alright, so at least she won't freak him out. How much can she eat?" Faith asked. "She doesn't have a lot of self-awareness, so I gotta lay some ground rules."

"Her artificial stomach can hold a total of twenty ounces of food. A normal meal isn't quite that much. She should be fine."

"Good. I just gotta make sure we give her a good list of what she can order. Anything she shouldn't have?"

"Not that I can think of." Willow returned. They both heard the door to the guest room open and turned to the stairs.

Tara came down the stairs, smiling. "Sh-she looks great." The wiccan said softly. "Ready to see your date for the evening?" Faith nodded. "Come down, Buffy."

The bot stepped out onto the foyer and moved down the stairs. Faith raked her eyes up and down the blonde robot's form. "Damn." She said. "She does look good."

Buffybot was clad in a skin tight black dress that showed a nice amount of cleavage and came to just above mid thigh. Her legs were bare and she wore a pair of gloss black boots with a nice three inch heel that stopped just below her knees. "How do I look?" The bubbly bot asked.

"Fantastic." Faith said. "Did your sister ever wear this?"

"Couple times." Dawn said. "Looks good on her, don't it?"

"Hell yeah, it does." Faith stepped over to her. "You ready to have some fun?"

Buffybot smiled and nodded. "I like fun."

Faith offered her arm. "Shall we?" When the bot looked at her with confusion, Faith looped her arm with the robot's. "Like this."

"Why?" Buffybot asked.

"It's just a polite thing to do. When a date offers you his arm like this, that's what you're supposed to do. Just kind of a tradition thing."

"Oh, okay." Buffy said, smiling.

"See you guys later." Faith said, heading toward the garage.

Tara, Willow and Dawn stared as the pair left the house. "I still think this is a really bad idea." Willow said, sadly. "She's not a real person."

"Just because she's a robot doesn't make her any less real than any of us." Tara said. "Sometimes just treating her like a real person might make her feel better." She looked at her girlfriend. "I know it makes me feel a little better."

Willow looked at her. "But…I don't wanna get attached. She isn't Buffy. We should stop treating her like she is."

Dawn looked at the redhead and reached up cuffing her stiffly in the back of the head. The witch rubbed her head, looking at the girl with a frown. "She's the only part of my sister I have left, Willow. Just because she's a reformed sex toy doesn't mean we have to treat her like crap. For god's sake we make her sleep in a closet."

"She doesn't sleep in the closet, Dawn. She powers off and gets put in the closet because she's a robot. She's a tool for helping around the house and backup slaying."

"I have a question for you." The teen said, crossing her arms. "Have you ever bothered to _ask_ her if she likes being in the closet?"

Willow furrowed her brow. "Not really, no."

"Maybe you should. Maybe she would like being treated like a human being from time to time. Faith seems to get it." Dawn said, turning to go into the kitchen. "And I know you're smarter than she is."

"Ouch." Tara said, smiling. "From the mouths of babes."

Willow sighed and lowered her head. "Maybe you're both right. I've been seeing her as just a…robot. Like a really sophisticated lawn mower. You don't bring your Briggs and Stratton into the house to sleep in a bedroom."

"But she's not like that, Willow. She may not be human, but she is a part of the family." Tara said, pulling her girl in for a loving embrace.

"I suppose so." Willow said. "Just a little strange."

"We live on a Hellmouth love." Tara said. "If our day to day wasn't strange, what would we do with ourselves?"

"Good point." Willow offered, kissing her girlfriend. "What's for dinner?"

"My world famous call to the Chinese delivery restaurant." Tara said. "With those crispy little spring rolls you like."

"Ooh." Willow said, excitedly.

Faith opened the car door for the girl, letting her climb in. As the bot sat down, her skirt rode up her thigh, giving Faith a glimpse of the girl's panty line. "Okay, get back out."

The bot did as she was instructed. "Did I do something wrong?" She asked.

"Not really. Just want to show you how to sit down in a skirt without showing off your panties." Faith explained. "Wearing pants like me, you won't have to worry about it. But when you're in a skirt or a dress, especially one as short as that, you gotta take some precautions." She took Buffy's place. "Here. Watch me." She turned and sat down on the seat, smoothing her hands down her butt and legs as she did so. "You put your hands on your behind to make sure your skirt doesn't hike up." She then lifted her feet and turned, setting them in the footwell. "See? You don't flash your date when you get in this way." She got out and moved out of the way. "Now you try."

Buffybot executed the maneuver textbook, just as Faith had shown her. "Like this?"

"Perfect." Faith said. She shut the door and moved to the driver's side, climbing in. She reached up and hit the garage door opener. "Make sure you buckle up."

Buffy nodded and pulled the seatbelt down, clicking it. She then rested her hands on her lap and watched Faith as she fastened her own belt and pulled her keys out of her pocket. "You're really pretty, aren't you?"

Faith looked at her. "What?"

"You're really pretty, aren't you?" The bot asked again.

Faith was stunned. "Uh…I mean yeah. I'm pretty fine if I do say so myself. What made you ask?"

"Tara helped me get ready. I asked her if she liked you and she got red and her heartbeat sped up. I asked her if it was because you're pretty. She didn't answer me." Buffybot asked.

Faith chuckled as she fired the Roadrunner up. She backed out of the garage. "Honestly, I couldn't answer you either. I really don't know why Tara and Willow like me." She glanced at the bot. "There's no clear cut answers for things like that. Just like I couldn't tell you why I like them."

"I think it's because you're all really pretty." Buffybot said. "And you all seem so happy when you're together."

"I guess I like the things that they say. I like the things that they do. Little things that I notice that I'm sure they aren't even aware that they're doing."

"Like what?"

"Well…when Red is deep in the research, she does this little Donald Duck thing." Faith made the noise as best she could. "It's really subtle and I'm sure she doesn't know she's doing it."

"Do I have habits that I'm not aware I have?" Buffybot asked. "Probably not." She said, suddenly sounding kind of sad. "I'm not real."

"Says who?" Faith asked, driving away from the house.

"Everyone. I'm not really Buffy. People tell me that all the time."

Faith looked at her. The admission actually surprised the hell out of her. "Let me tell you something." She pulled the car over and stopped. She turned toward the girl full on. "Look at me." Buffybot did as she was told. "I don't care what anyone tells you. You _are_ real. You're a robot. So what?" She shook her head. "Doesn't make you any less real than me."

"You're human. I'm not." Buffybot said.

"So?" Faith said. "Spike isn't human. Doesn't that mean he isn't real? What about little D? She's a ball of glowing energy. Does that make her any less real? No, it doesn't. The only thing that makes you different from everyone else is that you were built. You're made of microchips and metal. That doesn't mean shit. You're a part of our family. You're Dawn's sister." She reached out and took the robot's hand. "And you're my friend."

Buffybot looked her in the eye and smiled. "I am real. Because real people have friends."

"There you go." Faith said. "Now stop thinking like that. You're real girl that's gonna have a good time on your date with Daniel."

Buffybot nodded. "Okay."

They pulled up to the Espresso Pump. "He wanted to meet you for coffee. So this is the first step."

Faith opened the door for the girl. "You remember how I showed you to get in? Just do the same thing but in reverse."

Buffybot nodded and swung her legs out, tightly together. As she stood, she ran her hands up the back of her dress, lifting the back to show off her underwear clad bottom.

Faith chuckled, and shook her head. "Okay. When you get out of the car, instead of your hands moving up, just keep them below your bottom." She demonstrated. "Like this."

"Okay." Buffy said. "Thank you for showing me. I don't want to look stupid."

"You're not stupid." Faith said. "Let's go inside." She again offered her arm to the blonde. Buffy took it and smiled. She led them to a table in the corner and sat the girl down. "I'll go and order. Is there anything in particular you want?"

Buffybot just looked at her. "I don't need to drink liquids. I don't have a preference."

Faith nodded. "Fair enough. I'll get you something appropriate." She picked a couple of beverages and made her way back to the table. "It's a Mocha Latte with whip cream. It's basically fancy hot chocolate." Faith said.

"Okay. I can remember that." Buffybot said. She then sat there staring at Faith. "What do I do now?" She asked, finally.

"Well…now you just talk." Faith offered. She paused a moment and nodded. "Right. Date talk. This is where you get to know each other. What can you tell me about Daniel?"

"He's five feet nine and a third inches tall. He weights exactly one hundred and seventy two pounds, three point two ounces…"

Faith laughed. "Let me rephrase that. What do you know about his personality? His likes and dislikes. What have you heard him say that tells you things about what he's like?"

Buffy thought a moment. "I've heard him say that he likes the Star Wars Movies. Phantom Menace could have been better, but I feel it kept somewhat true to the scope of the first three movies. Attack of the Clones was actually the worst of the three prequels because it was just a feast of nothing but CGI. Yeah, Phantom Menace had that, but it was a testbed for Star Wars for a completely new generation. Attack repeated the mistakes of the first movie. It was like they didn't learn anything. Hayden Christensen was a decent enough actor, but he suffered from bad writing and over direction. Revenge of the Sith was awesome. Don't care what anyone says."

Faith couldn't help but laugh. "Christ. He's a geek."

"He thinks so too." Buffy said. "He said he's a geek."

"What else can you tell me?" Faith asked. "What's his favorite color?"

"He likes emerald green because of a necklace his grandmother bought for him when he was little. It was an emerald green iron cross."

"That's good. That's a start. So his grandmother and him were close." Faith said. At Buffy's nod she went on. "Do you know what kind of music he likes?"

"He said he likes soundtracks. He's also really into video game music. He says that Yoko Shimomura is his favorite composer."

"I…have no idea who that is." Faith said.

"She's done a lot of video game soundtracks. She's done all of the Kingdom Hearts games. His favorite, though is the Parasite Eve Soundtrack."

"How could you possibly know that this chick did all the Kingdom Hearts games?" Faith asked.

"This coffee shop has Wifi." Buffy said, simply.

"You can access Wifi?" Faith said. "That's actually pretty cool."

"I can also act as a Wifi hotspot." The bot added. "Warren installed the hardware when he constructed my predecessor."

"Your predecessor?"

"April. The robot he created me from. She was incredibly inferior to me." Buffy said, somewhat smugly.

Faith caught the hint of pride and giggled. "Yeah, you and Buffy are a lot alike."

The bot stared at her with a bright smile. "That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me."

Faith nodded. "Well you should be…" She never got the sentence out. Her eyes were pinned on the four people that came into the coffee shop. She narrowed her eyes and concentrated on the four of them. She knew immediately what they were. "Give me a minute." She said, rising to her feet.

Buffybot looked at her and turned to the new group. "What's wrong?"

"Vampires." Faith said, moving toward them. Buffy immediately got up and followed her.

"No, wait here." Faith said to her.

"I'm programmed to fight the vampire menace." Buffybot said, her voice suddenly cold and hard. "And you are my friend. I will not let you get harmed."

Faith grinned. "Just like old times."

The four vampires spread out, looking for victims. Two of them sat down near a girl that looked like she was still in high school. "Hey, beautiful." One of them said. He had the appearance of a greaser from the fifties. He reached over and caressed her cheek with his thumb.

She squeaked and moved away from him, cowering.

"You get those two." Faith said, pointing.

"Right." Buffybot said. She moved over and gripped the avarice vampire by his hair and spun, hurling him over the counter to smash into a glass case filled with pastries. "Seems she's allergic to grease." The bot snapped out.

The second vampire stood and lunged at the robot. He gripped her around the waist and drove her backward into the counter, smashing a part of the wood. He then gripped her throat and began strangling her. "Die, bitch." He growled.

Buffy gripped his wrists and squeezed. Her robotic hands might as well have been hydraulic presses with the damage they did to his bones. After crushing the muscle and bone to powder, she pushed his arms out wide. She then wrapped her hands about the back of his head and pulled it down, while driving her knee up. His face collided with the steel reinforced joint. His nose splayed across his mug. She then turned and slammed his head through the front of the counter.

As she finished with him, Greaser leapt at her from behind the display, his face twisted in the demonic visage common to his breed. She reacted with blinding speed. Her right hand gripped his throat and her left hand took hold of his belt. She lifted him and turned crashing him down back first onto a table. The surface shattered as he went through it. She dropped to her knees, snatching up a piece of the broken table and staking him quickly with it. "Custard likes it when you don't scream, happy." She snapped, smiling. She rose to her feet and turned, ducking below the second vampire's haymaker. Her stake caught him directly in the chest, sending him away in a hail of dust. "The same goes for you, monkey lips."

Faith moved toward the other two vampires. They sat at a table, hassling another young pair of girls. As she walked by, she snatched a broom from the employee that was sweeping by the door. "Can I borrow that?" She said, not waiting for him to react. As she walked, stomped on the end, snapping the brush off the bottom she then broke it over her knee. She spun the pair of clubs in her hands and came up behind the vamps. With a hard shot, she cracked both of them across the sides of the head.

They tumbled from the chairs they were seated in. The girls got to their feet and backed away from the table, scared senseless. "Pardon me, ladies. Your dates and I have something to discuss."

"They're not with us." One of the girls said.

"Good to know." Faith said. A terrible crash sounded on the other side of the shop. She knew Buffybot was well into her fight with the other two vamps. She trusted the android to get the job done.

The two vampires rose to their feet. "Who do you think you are?" One of them said. He sported a leather jacket and was trying way too hard to look like a badass. Faith quickly unloaded on him with a hard flurry of blows from the sticks she carried. The first shot caught him across the teeth, snapping his head to the side. The second rapped across his ribs. A third strike took him behind the knee. Faith lifted as she struck. As the vampire was lifted into the air, she drove the broken end into his chest, dusting him.

That left one. He looked at her as she stood smiling. He shook his head and turned to run. She quickly hooked a chair in her foot and flipped it into the air. She then executed a text book spin kick, catching the chair square with her foot, propelling it toward the fleeing vampire at breakneck speed. It collided with his retreating back, knocking him to the floor. He landed in a heap and slid along the wood.

She made her way over and knelt, jamming the stake down, taking him out. She rose and looked at the girls. "Sorry for the disruption." She lifted the chair and sat it back down. "Here you go."

"Th-thank you." One of them said, giving her a weak smile.

Faith nodded and moved past the employee that was cleaning. "Thanks." She said, handing him the sticks. "Couldn't have done it without you." She patted him on the shoulder and moved back toward her date.

She arrived just in time to watch Buffybot stake the first vampire. She raised her eyebrow as she heard the rather bizarre colloquialism. "Yeah, Red's still gotta bit of work to do in that area." When the bot was finished, Faith looked around. "Okay, B. Time to jet." She took hold of the robot's arm and pulled her away from the coffee shop.

Buffy nodded. "This was fun. Are all dates like this?"

Faith chuckled. "Only the good ones." She led the girl to the car. "Instead of coming to the Espresso Pump for your date, have him take you to the Bronze."

"Why? The Espresso Pump was fun." Buffybot offered as she climbed into the car exactly as Faith had shown her.

Faith shut her door and slid into the driver's side. "Yeah, but it's also gonna be closed. The amount of damage you did is gonna take some time to fix."

"Should I apologize to the owner?" Buffybot asked.

"No, don't sweat it. Places like that have insurance. Not sure if they cover vampire attacks, but…" She pulled away and headed toward the club. "We're going dancing."

"I've never been dancing." Buffybot said, happily. "It looks like fun, though."

"Oh, it is." Faith said, shifting gears, revving the engine. "You're steppin' into my world now, blondie."

Buffybot didn't stop smiling all the way to the Bronze. Or the whole time she spent there. Faith was surprised as hell. She'd danced a couple of times with Buffy back when she was in Sunnydale. What the blonde was doing now was a far cry from the bouncy, somewhat bubbly way she danced before. She slid her body down Faith's, keeping physical contact all the way. She turned grinding her bottom into the front of the slayer. She took Faith's hands and pulled them around her waist, then moved her own hands back, holding the brunette's hips close.

"Damn, B. You definitely know how to work it." Faith said. "Startin' to feel a little jealous of Daniel."

Buffybot didn't say anything. Instead she simply added a little sway of her hips. For hours, the pair danced, just enjoying the night.

For Faith, it was a reminder of better days.

For Buffybot, it was a gift from a friend. Something that she never knew she could have. It was also a promise of things to come.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

Faith stepped back and looked the blonde robot up and down. The black leather pants hugged the girl's curves. As did the soft lavender spaghetti strap top. The three and half inch strappy wedges did wonders for the robot's calves. "Yeah…you are definitely gonna knock his socks off."

Buffybot furrowed her brow. "Why would I want to do that?"

Faith chuckled as she moved up to adjust the blonde's hair. "It means you look really good."

"Oh." Buffybot said, smiling. "Thank you." She looked at Faith. "Thank you for doing this."

The slayer looked at her. "Doing what?"

"Letting me go on this date with Daniel. I know Willow didn't want me to."

"You deserve to be happy, too." Faith said. "Does going on this date make you happy?"

"Yes, it does."

"Then there you go. You're just as entitled as the rest of us." Faith smiled and nodded. "You're ready." She offered her arm to the girl. "Let's go and blow your date's mind."

Buffybot looped her arm in Faith's just like she'd been shown.

"Now just so you know, I'm gonna be trailing you tonight. Just to make sure everything goes okay."

"Why?" Buffybot asked.

"Because I wanna make sure you two have a good time. I don't want any vampires or anything spoiling your evening."

"But that was fun." Buffybot said.

"Yeah, for the two of us, maybe. But for regular people, vampires are scary and dangerous. Daniel probably wouldn't enjoy fighting vampires as much as we do."

"Oh…because he's human." Buffybot said.

"Precisely. See…that's one of the things that makes you better than human. You're stronger, faster, know how to fight better and can take a lot more punishment than a squishy human type. Same with me. I love being a slayer. But not everyone around us can take that kind of abuse. So I'm gonna be keepin' an eye on you to make sure nothing goes wrong and that you have a nice time."

The bot grinned widely at her. "Okay." She said, resting a hand on the girl's arm. "I appreciate it."

"No problem." Faith said. She led the girl down the stairs. "Well? How's she look?"

Tara, Willow and Dawn were all sitting on the sofa watching a movie. As one, they all looked up at her.

"Very nice." Tara said. "Daniel is one lucky man."

"Those pants are little tight, aren't they?" Willow asked.

"Kinda the point, Red." Faith said. "We want Daniel to get all sorts of ideas in his head. Besides, you don't hide a good stake under a napkin when you serve it up."

Dawn shook her head. "Leave it to you to find a connection between clothing and food."

"Either that or sexual metaphor." Faith said. "We're off."

"Have fun, Buffy." Tara said. "Let us know how it went when you get back."

"Okay." The girl said, moving off toward the garage arm in arm with Faith.

"Something is going to go horribly wrong." Willow said. "I can feel it."

"Th-that's why Faith is going along to keep an eye on her. If something goes off kilter, Faith will be there to get things back on track." Tara said. She rested a hand on her girlfriend's knee. "Don't worry so much."

Willow took the girl's hand and looked her in the eye. She then gave her an evil smile and flicked her eyes to the stairs and back, bobbing her brows.

Tara blushed and giggled. She then bit her lip and nodded.

"There's no need to try and be slick about it." Dawn said, not taking her eyes from the movie. "I'm young, not dumb." Willow and Tara both looked at her, then got up and veritably ran up the stairs. Dawn watched them go and sighed, shaking her head. "Grown ups." She said, sighing.

"Daniel knows to meet you outside the Bronze, right?" Faith asked Buffybot.

"I called him. He was very happy to hear from me. He told me he was excited."

"I know I would be." Faith said.

"You really liked Buffy, didn't you?" Buffybot asked.

Faith wasn't sure how to respond. She decided to go for honesty. "Yeah, I did. When she died, she came to me in a dream. Told me to look out for everyone. I think despite the bad blood between us, she showed that she still trusted me to do what was right. That meant a lot."

"Do I remind you of her?"

"Yes and no." Faith said. "I mean, you got the looks. You got the curves. But I can tell you're not her." She quickly looked at the girl. "Trust me, that's not a bad thing. That just means instead of being an imitation of her, you're actually your own person. Like a…twin sister or something."

"I was supposed to be a perfect copy of her." The bot said. "At least that's what Warren built me to be. And that's what Spike wanted me to be. Except he wanted me to love him."

"Did you?" Faith asked.

"Yes. I was built to love him." Buffybot said, simply.

"What about now?"

"I…I don't know. My programming is very specific as far as combat and customer service skills. Everything else is just…I have trouble accessing any additional programming."

Faith smiled. "That's because you don't have any, B. Red hasn't given you anything else to work with. Mainly because that's what I asked her to do."

"Why wouldn't you want her to give me additional programming?" Buffybot asked, confused.

Faith just kept smiling. "Because…" She looked at the girl. "Part of being a real person is learning things for yourself. Experiencing life first hand." She tapped the steering wheel. "Driving a car, learning what kind of music you like, going on dates." She shook her head. "All that stuff is things that shouldn't be data in a hard drive. It should be something you make your own decision about."

"Are my emotions programmed?" Buffybot asked. "I mean, when I do something right, my body gets warm. I like the feeling, but…am I simply programmed to feel that way?"

"Does it matter?" Faith asked. "When I'm around Willow and Tara? When I'm asleep and I have my arms around them, I feel safe and happy. I never used to feel that way. Everybody I've shared a night with has always just been a means to an end. I never gave much thought to who it was or what they wanted. But with those two, I find that I care what they want. I wanna make them happy. I don't question if it's some sort of genetic code or something. Because it doesn't matter. Same with you. It don't matter where the feelings come from. It only matters that you feel them."

"But if it's just programming…"

"Did you like the date we had?" Faith asked her.

"Yes. I enjoyed it very much."

"Then that's all that really matters. Normal people don't spend a lot of their time thinking about _why_ they feel. They just spend their time _feeling_. That's what you should do. Get right down to it, we're all machines. Just like you. Except instead of being made of metal, polymers and wires, we're made of bone, skin and muscle."

"But you're alive."

"And you're not?" Faith said. "Not being human doesn't make you any less alive than anyone else. Remember that." She pulled up to the club. "Alright. There's your boy."

Buffybot looked at him. He was dressed in pair of nice jeans, a black button down shirt and a pair of black boots. "He's cute."

"Yeah, he is, actually. He cleans up well." Faith said. She looked at Buffybot. "Okay. A few things to remember. He's human, so when you hug him, be careful not to break something. You can only consume twenty ounces of food. So don't over eat. And avoid alcoholic beverages. Other than that, have fun."

"I will. Thank you, Faith." Buffybot said before climbing out of the car.

Faith watched as the girl walked up to the boy. The blonde swayed her hips with a swagger that Buffy never possessed. It was a reminder of, despite the look and the voice and the makeover that Willow did to the bot, that she was still built for pleasure. Faith grinned as she saw the expression on Daniel's face. He was getting hot under the collar watching the blonde stalk toward him like a lioness hunting its prey. Boy didn't know what he was in for. He offered his arm to the girl. She accepted without hesitation. As they turned and headed into the club, she climbed out of her car and likewise made her way inside.

She did feel a little bad for lying to the bot. Her role as distant chaperone wasn't to keep vampires and beasties away from the pair. It was to make certain that Buffybot didn't make any kind of serious faux pas. She dropped the cover and quickly scanned the crowd for the pair. The spinner was currently spitting out some emo bullshit. She caught sight of them sitting at a table, chatting.

She stepped up to the bar, ordered a soda and headed up to the catwalk to watch them from above. She felt the movement as someone leaned on the banister beside her. She turned to see Giles standing next to her. "Keeping an eye on your new protégé, I see." He said, smiling.

"Just makin' sure she doesn't do anything to screw the night up. We prepped her as much as we could. The rest is up to her." She looked at him. "What brings you here?"

"Boredom, I suppose. Saturday night. Nothing on television worth watching." He turned and leaned back against the rail. "Decided to go out and see what was what."

"You haven't been dipping into any magic chocolate, have you?" Faith asked him.

He gave her a smile. "Bullocks. You caught me." He shook his head. "No. Despite what you all might believe, I was actually a rather rebellious youth."

"I can see it. B gave me some of the highlights." Faith said. "Why don't you go down and give us a little bit of tunage? I know you can sing."

"As can you." He said. "You've got a voice made for rock and roll."

"You got the Roger Daltrey thing goin' on." She took a sip of her soda. "And I know we both sound better than this crap."

"I'm game if you are." Giles said, smiling.

"You callin' me out, Tweed?" Faith asked him.

"Indeed I am, slayer." He said, chuckling. "It's been a while since I did something brash."

"For me it's been like…" She looked at her watch. "About an hour."

"Please note my complete and total lack of surprise." He said, offering his arm.

Faith kept an eye on Buffybot and Daniel as they walked. "It's a good thing you're doing." He said to her. "Robot or not, treating her with respect is a good thing."

She nodded. "I think so." The pair got to the DJ and informed him that they wanted to sing a duet. He handed them the song list. They stepped back and perused it, looking for something appropriate. "Nothin' sappy."

"Nothing too hard core." Giles offered. "Something classic, if at all possible."

"I like me some classic rock." Faith said. "What are you feelin'?"

"Well…" He turned to book to her. "This one."

She looked at it and slowly lifted her eyes back to him. "I am not, repeat _not_ singing Chicago."

"25 or 6 to 4 is a good song." He said.

"Not…singing…Chicago." She said to him. "Resolve face." She said, pointing.

He sighed and kept looking. "No class."

"What about this?" Faith said. "It's good, it's classic…"

"It's Motorhead." Giles said, looking at her. "I am not doing Ace of Spades."

"Yeah, never mind." She said, shrugging. "Oh, here we go." She said, pointing. "I love this song. It's classic and even you own this album."

Giles looked at it. "I do like the song." He turned back to her. "I think we found our song." He said, smiling. He handed the DJ back the book and informed him of the song they wanted to sing.

"You're on as soon as this song is done." He said to the pair.

They made their way over to the side of the stage. "You're sure about this?" He asked. "Plenty of time to back out."

"I've done Karaoke before." She said. "I actually enjoyed it." She looked over at Buffy and her date. They were dancing away. Buffy was giving the kid a serious mahogany rush. "Poor kid."

Giles looked at her and immediately pulled his glasses off, cleaning them.

Faith watched him and chuckled. "Right." She said quietly. The song ended and they were up.

The melodic chords filled the club as Giles began with the opening lyrics of _Foolin'_ by Def Leppard. Their rough, yet gifted voices did the cut proud.

When the song ended, the club was in awe. They then clapped and cheered loudly.

The pair moved from the stage and handed the microphones back to the DJ. "That was rather enjoyable." Giles said. "Thank you."

"No problem." Faith said, moving up to the bar. She ordered them both sodas. She kept her eyes on Buffybot. "Wonder what they're talking about."

"Who knows?" Giles said. "Nothing normal, I'm sure."

Buffybot danced seductively as she knew how, grinding her bottom against Daniel's crotch. He had his hands on her hips and was simply enjoying himself. She turned and dipped down low, snaking her way back up his body. She then put her arms on his shoulders, staring into his eyes.

"You're beautiful." He said to her. "I don't know what I did to get so lucky."

"You asked me out, remember?" Buffybot said. "And I said yes."

He chuckled. "Well, yeah. But you're like…way out of my league. I thought for sure you'd shoot me down."

"Why would I shoot you?" Buffybot asked. "I don't even own a gun."

He furrowed his brow. "What?"

"You said you thought I would shoot you down. Why would I want to do that? Shooting you would hurt you."

He stopped dancing, staring at her. "Are you serious?"

"Gunshot wounds are very serious." Buffybot said. "I don't understand why you'd think that I'd shoot you for asking me out. Where's the fun in that?"

"No…I meant that I thought you'd say no." He said. "I didn't…Jesus."

"Oh. I'm sorry. I got confused." She went back to dancing. "I think you're very nice. And wearing this you're really cute. I'm glad you asked me out."

He continued dancing and smiled at her. "You're a little peculiar, you know that?"

"I'm not a normal girl." Buffybot said.

"I'll say. I don't think there's another girl out there as beautiful as you." He said.

"There was, but she died."

"What?" He asked. "You have a twin sister?"

"No. I'm a robot."

That stopped him in his tracks. "Um…what?" He asked her. "I'm not sure I heard you right. You said you're a robot?"

Buffybot nodded. "Yes. But I'm real because I have friends." She said happily.

"Are you messing with me?" He asked, stepping away from her. "How?…What?"

Faith watched the pair stop dancing and saw Daniel step back from Buffybot. "Oh, this isn't good." She said to Giles.

He looked and sighed. "No, I dare say it isn't."

Buffy lifted the front of her shirt and peeled away the section of stomach. "See?"

Daniel pulled her off to a secluded section of the dance floor. He then inspected her closely. "Oh my god."

"If you'll excuse me." Faith got up and quickly moved through the people. She got to the pair just as Daniel was looking the inner workings over.

He looked up and saw Faith. "Did you know about this?" He asked her.

"Yeah." She said, pushing him away and closing the bot back up. "It's…complicated."

He furrowed his brow and looked at the blonde. "I think I get it."

"Get what?" Buffybot asked.

"Well…I went to high school with you. I was there when you got the class protector award. A few months ago there was that…those really weird lights in the sky. And you said that there was a girl that looked like you, but she died. And you're a robot." He rubbed his face in his hands. "You're not the real Buffy Summers. She's the one that died. You're like…a decoy or something."

Faith sighed. "Look, Daniel. She's as real as you and me, okay? She genuinely wanted to come on this date with you. She likes you. She's a robot which means certain things kinda get lost on her."

He stared at the blonde and saw those beautiful hazel-green eyes staring back at him filled with happiness and just the simple joy of being with people she liked. "Are you having fun?" He asked her.

"Yes." Buffy said. "I like being here with you. I'm sorry being a robot makes you sad."

He couldn't help but smile. Robot or not, she was a girl that enjoyed being around him. Most people couldn't stand him. "It doesn't make me sad. It just means that I have the coolest and most advanced date in the room."

"That makes me happy." Buffybot said to him.

"I do have a very…guy question." He said. Faith grinned, but didn't say anything. "Are you…anatomically correct?"

Buffybot immediately harkened back to her basest programming. She gave him a sinister, yet avarice smile. Faith's words slid from her lips. "I could ride you at a gallop until your legs buckled and your eyes rolled up. I've got muscles you've never even dreamed of. I could squeeze you until you popped like warm champagne, and you'd beg me to hurt you just a little bit more." She leaned forward and licked his nose. "And that would make me _very_ happy."

Faith smiled at herself. She had made sure Buffybot told the boy that if he found out that she was a robot. Being a typical boy, she knew he'd ask. And it was the perfect response. Especially since she'd seen the tail spin it sent Spike into.

Daniel stared Buffybot in the eyes and had to swallow. "You…know how to…do that?"

Buffybot pressed her chest against his and wrapped her arms about his neck. "I know how to do that." She kissed him passionately. "But we're not there yet."

"O-okay." He said, whimsically. "Wow."

"Dance with me some more." The blonde said, pulling him back out onto the dance floor.

Faith smiled. "That went better than expected." She moved back over to Giles. "I think she's gonna be alright."

"So he knows?"

"Yeah. He took it pretty well." She finished her soda. "Wanna dance?"

"Um, well, I…uh." He stammered out.

Faith grabbed his hand and pulled him out onto the floor. "Come on, Tweed. Live it up a little."

Giles sighed and began dancing. He was actually rather rhythmic. Faith was nice and kept it as clean as she could. She also avoided touching him…mostly.

Buffybot continued her incredibly naughty dancing with Daniel. The poor boy was going nuts. And he was loving every minute of it.

As they danced, a pair of boys moved up, and simply pushed Daniel aside and began grinding against Buffybot. Daniel sighed and began moving away.

Buffybot stopped dancing. "Daniel, stop. Come back." She said to him. She moved to push past the two large boys. "Please move."

"You don't need that loser." The boy wearing a red button down shirt, said.

"He's my date. I came here with him." She said.

"Now you're with us. See how that works?" The other, clad in a purple tee offered, moving with the music.

"I don't want to be with you." She said to him. "Now move before I'm forced to cause you injury."

"Oh don't be that way." Red Shirt said, trying to sound smooth. "You just need a good…"

Buffybot drew back and punched him in the gut, doubling him over. She then snatched Purple Tee by the hair and slammed his face down onto the back of the Red Shirt's head, knocking them both to the floor, out like lights. She ran to Daniel and threw her arms around him. "They wanted to take me away from you. I didn't want them to."

He smiled at her and brushed an errant lock of blonde hair from her eyes. "It's okay." He leaned in and kissed her. The pair shared a warm embrace.

Faith watched the girl put down the pair of slabs. "Nice."

Giles chuckled. "She's rather taken with the boy."

"I met him. He's a good kid. Bit of a dork. But that's to be expected. Seems the dorks are the one's getting the girl, these days. Just look at Xander."

"I'd rather not." Giles said. "I'm going to retire for the evening." He took Faith's hand and kissed the back of it. "Thank you for a lovely evening."

She smiled. "Smooth SOB ain't you?"

"I try." He said. "I'll see you tomorrow for training?"

Faith nodded. "Take it easy, Tweed." She watched him go and decided to head to the bar to get some food. She sat and waited for Buffybot and Daniel to finish their date. The smile on the pair's faces told her everything she needed to know.

She offered to play chauffer for the pair on the way home. The pair sat in the backseat and made out pretty much the entire time. She was nice and took backroads and drove along the waterfront so they could enjoy some time together.

Buffybot walked up to the boy's door with him. "I had a really good time with you, Daniel." She said. "Can we go out again?"

He smiled at her. "I'd like that." He leaned in and kissed her again. "You're a really fun person, Buffy."

"Thank you." Buffybot said to him. "Thank you for saying person."

He chuckled. "I don't care that you're a robot. You're a beautiful, fun and wonderful _person_. Don't let anyone tell you different."

She smiled at him. "I won't." She said. "I'll see you at work on Monday?"

"Okay." He said, turning to open the door. "Have a good night."

"You too, Daniel." She said, happily. She watched the door close and turned back to the car. "He's really sweet. I like him." She said to Faith.

"Next time you go out with him, I won't be following you around." She said. "I think you can handle the next date on your own."

"Well, you kept vampires from bothering us." Buffybot said to her. "I appreciate that."

"Yeah, but you can take care of yourself. You'll keep him safe."

"Okay." Buffybot said. "I want to go back and spend the night with him."

"I'm sure you do. Kid's a muffin alright."

"No he isn't. He's a boy." Buffybot said, furrowing her brows.

Faith chuckled. "It means that I think he's cute, too. Saying things like 'kid's a muffin' or 'I'd eat him up' means that the person thinks someone's attractive."

"So…" Buffybot thought. "If I were to say 'I'd suck him down like a chilidog' about Daniel, that's a good thing?"

"Oh, yeah. That's a good one. I gotta remember that." Faith said as the pulled into the driveway. She hit the garage door opener and drove inside. "Got a question for you. Do you want your own actual bedroom? Instead of being put away in a closet?"

Buffybot looked at her. "I…don't know. I don't sleep."

"Yeah, but…wouldn't you rather lay down on a bed than stand up in a closet?"

"I…would like that. It would make me feel like a person." She smiled. "Daniel called me a person."

Faith laughed as she climbed out of the car. She opened the door for Buffy. "You got it bad."

"I've got what bad?" Buffybot said. "I don't want anything bad."

"It means you've got warm fuzzy feelings for Daniel. You really like him." Faith said. "That's a good thing."

The pair made their way into the house. Dawn sat on the sofa watching TV. "Hey little D. Where's Red and T-bear?"

"They went upstairs as soon as you two left." Dawn said. "I'll give you three guesses what they're doing, but you'll only need one."

Faith snorted. "Nice."

"So how was your date?" Dawn asked Buffybot.

"It was nice. Daniel knows I'm a robot and still called me a person." She beamed happily. "I like him."

Dawn smiled widely. "I'm glad to hear that. You deserve to be happy just like the rest of us."

"Thank you, Dawn." Buffybot said, leaning down to hug the girl. "Faith asked me if I wanted a room."

"Seems fair. You should be able to sleep in a bedroom." Dawn said to her. "You're part of the family, not a vacuum cleaner."

Faith nodded. "That's what I was saying. Come on, B. Let's get you ready for bed in your new digs."

The blonde waved goodnight to Dawn and followed Faith up to the bedroom that Buffy and she used to occupy. She spent her nights with Tara and Willow. "Here you go, double B. It's a damn sight better than the broom closet. And I don't think Buffy will mind."

Buffybot looked around the room and turned back to Faith. "Thank you."

"Why don't you go ahead and change into something to sleep in?" Faith said. She sifted through the drawers and pulled out Buffy's yummy sushi pajamas. "Here."

The bot took the clothes and began changing. Faith watched the girl and, strangely, didn't feel any sort of overt sexual attraction to her. Yes, she was Buffy in every physical way, but …it just wasn't there. She wanted to protect the bot. She wanted to make sure she got a fair chance to be someone. Not just a tool built for…she shuddered and quickly dispelled any thoughts on the bot's initial purpose. Currently, in the robot, Faith said a friend. She saw the bot almost as a sister.

Once Buffybot was changed, she sat down on the edge of the bed. "Can I just sit here for a little while?" She smiled. "I want to think about Daniel."

Faith grinned at her. "Sure." She moved over and gave the robot a hug. "You take as long as you want."

"Thanks." Buffybot said. She watched Faith close the door and sat in the silence, letting her computer driven mind recount the evening.

The stereo suddenly popped on. _"Sweet dreams are made of this, who am I do disagree…" _Sounded out before the radio turned back off.

Buffybot felt the slight fluctuation in the electromagnetic spectrum. She smiled widely and knew what the subtle message meant. "Thank you, Buffy." She said, to the emptiness of the room.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Willow leaned her head back and rubbed her eyes with the butt of her palms. Tara sat with her feet tucked up under her on the sofa with the spellbook in her lap. For days the pair had been going over every spell they had collectively to find a way to return Amy to her normal state. "My brain feels like it's going dribble out of my ears." She moaned.

Tara looked over at her. "Take a break, sweetie. We've been at this for hours."

"I know." Willow said, yawning. "I'm gonna go take a hot bath. Maybe the relaxation will help."

"Okay. Do you want me to come in and wash your back?" Tara asked.

Willow gave her a smile. "How about joining me? Tub's big enough."

Tara giggled. "Not that I don't see the merit in that idea. But, I can't. I have to start dinner in a little while."

Willow giggled and lifted the phone. "Behold the power of technology." She dialed a phone number.

"Faith's voice mail. Unless you been livin' under a rock, you know what to do."

"Hey, Faith. It's Willow. Would you be a dear and pick up something for dinner on your way home? We're not real picky. Tara and I will be in the bath, waiting for you." She said, looking at her lover. She ended the call and stared into the wide eyes of the blonde.

"Are…are you sure we wanna do that? F-Faith hasn't seen either of us naked yet."

"I know." The redhead said sheepishly. "But she's been sharing a bed with us for almost a month now. She's been on her best behavior. She doesn't bring anyone home with her. She kind of deserves it, don't you think?"

"Yeah, she really does." Tara said. "I think tonight we should…"

"I think so, too." She bit her lip. "I'm just afraid that she won't be…satisfied."

"We'll never know until we try, Willow." Tara said. "It's a chance we'll have to take." She put the book down and rose to her feet, offering her hand to her lover. "Come on. Relaxation and intimacy might bring a fresh perspective."

Willow smiled and nodded, taking the blonde's hand. The both ran like schoolgirl's up the stairs to the large master bathroom. Tara went in and started the water in the massive tub. Willow gathered a trio of large plush towels from the linen closet and set them on the shelf. As with every time before, her breath hitched in her throat as she watched the pretty blonde disrobe. Tara's body was exquisite. Cordelia had been Willow's first female crush. When they were in middle school, the Redhead first noticed the statuesque brunette. Yes, Cordelia was rotten to the core with her privileged lifestyle and horrendous manners. But Willow couldn't deny that the girl was possessed of a certain amount of sex appeal, that seemed to only grow over time. She never acted, or hell, so much as _thought _about acting on such a crush.

Then Buffy had shown up. Buffy seemed to have all of the qualities that Cordelia did. She was pretty, sexy and had a rather significant love of fashion. But the one thing Buffy had that Cordelia lacked, was compassion. Buffy rooted for the underdog. She was petite. Even more so than Willow herself. And standing at a whopping five feet, five inches, that was saying something.

She'd seen Buffy in the nude once. And the differences between the blonde slayer and her current blonde love was like night and day. Buffy was lean and in perfect physical condition. True she only weighed in at a scale busting one hundred and twenty pounds, but Willow knew that it was all muscle. Buffy's body was like cold rolled steel. Which explained why she was as gifted and athletic as she was, even before her being called as a slayer.

But where Cordelia was tall and was a testament to excess, in so much that her physicality came from expensive gyms, the latest in DVD home aerobics and cheerleading, and Buffy, the athletic superhero, Tara was simply…Tara. She was relatively plain, but that was one of the things that Willow loved about her. She was as uncomplicated as a woman could get.

"Y-you're gonna make me blush if you keep staring at me like that." The blonde said, smiling. "Taking a bath together requires the b-both of us to be san-clothes."

Willow moved over and pulled Tara in for a kiss. "I love you." She said, softly.

"I love you, too." Tara returned. "Now take your clothes off and get in the water." She then turned and stepped into the bathtub, relaxing along the side. "I really wish I could thank Joyce for putting this tub in."

Willow nodded as she removed her attire. Once done, she climbed in beside her girlfriend. "Oh, this is nice. Just what the doctor ordered." She nestled in against her lover and sighed. Tara put her arm around the redhead and relaxed.

Faith, clad in a black tank top and a pair of sweat pants, worked the wooden man in the training room fast and furious. The pegs on the large apparatus rattled and thumped in rapid succession. Sweat plastered her tank top to her skin and her hair to her head.

Dawn, likewise clothed, punched the speed bag with a nice, practiced rhythm. She'd been training full stop for over a month and it was beginning to show. Her eye-hand coordination had improved, along with her speed and dexterity. She was even beginning to see some muscle tone on her rather lithe limbs.

"Now the heavy bag." Faith said. "Give me one hundred right-lead salvos. Then change it up and give me another hundred left-lead salvos. Count em' off for me."

Dawn nodded and moved to the large bag. She got into a standard boxing stance and issued a hard right-left punch and a right side snap kick. "One." She said out loud. She counted them out one after another. She put everything she had into every strike. She took her training very seriously. She was tired of being a burden to the group. She wanted to be able to pull her own weight. As she finished her arms were beginning to feel the burn. She smiled in spite of herself. When she first started, just working the speed bag, which she didn't do very well, wore her out and made her shoulders burn.

Now she could work for almost twenty minutes full tilt before getting tired. She finished her first round and switched sides, issuing a left-right punch combo and a left side snap kick. She counted them down and backed away from the bag, sweating and breathing heavy. "One minute, then we do sword training." Faith said, still going at the wooden man.

Dawn sat on the bench and tried to calm her breathing. She drank from her bottle of water and just watched Faith. The girl was brunette lightning. Her arms flew this way and that as she attacked the dummy with a vengeance. Every so often she would add a kick. She looked at her watch and sighed, standing up. She moved over and grabbed the two wooden bokken training swords. She turned to see Faith in the splits, with a foot out to either side, stretching. "That looks painful."

"Used to be." Faith said. "You'll be able to do this someday." She looked up at the girl. "Have you been stretching and shit in the mornings when you get up?"

Dawn nodded. "I didn't this morning because I forgot to set my alarm, so I did my warm up during lunch."

"Good." Faith said, rolling onto her back and kicking herself to her feet. She snapped her fingers and held her hand out. Dawn tossed her the sword. She then got into position. Faith took her spot next to the girl and began moving through the basic forms that she's been showing the girl. Dawn practiced hard, but knew she had a long way to go. She, like her sister, was a very quick learner. Fifteen minutes later, the pair switched it up and sparred with the blades. Faith kept her strikes quick, but nowhere near her fastest. And she made contact with Dawn, but only enough to give her a light sting, not enough to bruise.

But she could see a marked improvement in the girl. The younger Summers worked her ass off and it showed. She could defeat Faith's strikes for a long stretch before one snuck through. All in all, Faith was proud of her.

Finally, the clock on the wall chimed, telling them that the training was over. Dawn fell to her knees on the ground, as she did every day and breathed heavily. Faith spun the sword in her hand and collected Dawn's blade. "You're getting better." Faith said. "Pop quiz. Fyarl demon. Specs, abilities and weaknesses."

"Fyarl demon. Two meters in height. Two hundred kilograms on average. Offensive capabilities include superhuman strength, endurance and a rapid hardening mucus ejected from a pouch in the nasal cavity. Only weakness known is susceptibility to silver and like metals."

Faith nodded as she grabbed a pair of towels from the rack and two bottles of water. "Not bad. You've been studying like I asked you." She handed a towel and water to Dawn. "Go ahead and rest up. Then we'll head home." She sat on the bench and pulled her phone from her bag. She dialed her voice mail and listened to her only message. She smiled with excitement. "What are you feelin' for dinner?"

"I don't know. Fried Chicken and Jojo's?"

"Sounds good." Faith said, dialing the local chicken shack. She made a large order and put her phone away. "We'll stop and grab it on our way home."

Faith pulled into the garage, grabbing a bag of food as she stepped out of the car. Dawn grabbed the other two and followed the slayer into the house. "Why don't you go ahead and chow down, little D? I'm gonna go upstairs and have a bath."

Dawn nodded. "I'm gonna grab a shower first." The teen said. "Where are Willow and Tara?"

Faith grinned. "In the bath."

"Ah." Dawn said, returning the girl's smile. "Well, have fun." She said trotting up the stairs.

Faith did likewise, entering the master bedroom. "It's me."

"We're in here." Tara's voice sounded from the large bathroom.

Faith sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her boots and socks off. She wiggled her toes and sighed. "Better." She stood and stripped off the sweat pants and tank top, tossing both into the hamper, along with her bra and underwear. She moved into the bathroom and saw the two women completely naked for the first time. She couldn't help but smile at the pair. "God made anything better than this, she kept it for herself."

Both girls stared appreciatively at her. She was lean, but had muscle to spare. Her body looked to be chiseled in marble. "Come in, sweetie." Tara said, motioning the girl in.

"Plenty of room." Willow said, smiling.

Faith stepped into the tub and sank down. "That's nice." She dipped below the surface and came back up, wiping the water from her eyes.

Willow and Tara both looked at each other, biting their lips and nodded. They then turned back to Faith. "We think tonight we should…you know." Tara said, sheepishly.

Faith quirked an eyebrow. "Have sex?" She asked, wanting clarification. They nodded simultaneously. "You sure our relationship is ready for that?" It wasn't that Faith didn't want to. She most certainly did. She'd been wanting it pretty much since she moved in. But she knew that things usually went to pot if they were rushed and she really wanted what they had to work out. She was tired of moving from one lover to another. Both Willow and Tara were good honest girlfriend material. She could tell they loved each other and she found much about the pair that she could come to love also. She wasn't going to lie to herself and say that there wasn't a part of her that was scared that she felt that way. She was used to people who loved her leaving or dying on her. And she desperately didn't want to lose these two. So she was understandably nervous.

"You've been more than patient." Willow said. "Tara and I have been intimate since you began sharing a bed with us. It only seems fair. And you deserve it for all you've done for us."

She sighed. "Look. I don't do all the things I do because I expect something out of it." She looked at them both. "I wanna do this, make no mistake. But I want it to be because the two of you are ready. Not because of some sense of obligation. I'm gonna be here for everyone because that's what I was asked to do. It's what I wanna do. You don't have to…"

Tara moved forward and placed a finger on Faith's lips to quiet her. She sat on the slayer's lap. "We've talked about it. Both of us. We're not agreeing to his because we feel we owe you. I'm not saying we don't, but that's not why."

Willow eased up and sat next to the brunette, pressing her small pert breasts against the side of Faith's body. "We think it's time. We know we like cuddling next to you. We know we like sleeping with you. Now we think it's time to learn of we like, you know, _sleeping_ with you." She ran a finger down the side of Faith's naked chest. "And we need to know if you enjoy sleeping with us."

"As long as it's something you both want." Faith said.

"I never thought I'd hear nervousness in your voice when it came to sex." Willow said.

"I just don't want anything going wrong."

"It won't." Tara said, softly. "If we're patient with each other, we'll all learn what we do and don't like. We'll begin to understand each other's bodies." She leaned in and kissed the girl deeply. "And that's going to best part of it all. The discovery." She moved back and motioned for Willow to take her place.

The redhead did as the blonde silently suggested. She could feel the pounding heat coming off the slayer's sex. She couldn't help but smile. She shimmied her hips a little, drawing a subtle moan from the girl. "Are we arousing you?" She asked, leaning in to kiss her.

After the brunette drew back from the firm and aggressive kiss, she nodded. "Yeah, you are."

"Well, then." Tara said. "Let's get you clean and fed." She pulled the shampoo from the edge of the tub. "Move so I can get behind you to wash your hair."

Faith smiled and gripped Willow's thighs, holding her snug and scooted forward. The redhead giggled as the slayer did so. She took the bath scrubby from the small basket suction-cupped to the wall and squirted some of the body wash onto it. As Tara worked the shampoo into her hair, Willow lovingly washed Faith's muscular form.

The brunette relaxed and leaned back on her hands, letting the girls do as they would. After they finished having a spot of fun in the bath, they climbed out and dried off.

"I got it!" Willow shouted. She quickly ran over to the shelf and began pulling books off of it, flipping through them.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Tara asked as she pulled on a loose t-shirt and ankle length skirt.

"A spell." Willow said, leafing through book after book. "I found it about a year or so ago. It was after Oz left. I…I know I wasn't strong enough to cast it at the time. It was pretty powerful. But I think with you helping me I might…" She trailed off. "Where the heck is it?" She sighed as she looked through the last book. "Dammit." She said, sadly. "I thought I still had it."

"What spell was it, Red? Maybe Tweed might have it one of his books." Faith said. She decided on a pair of short shorts and a white wife-beater.

"He doesn't." Willow said. "We've already gone through all of his books. I had a book that ended up getting lost. I've never been able to find it or another copy of it."

Tara moved over and sat beside the girl. She reached up and took Willow's hand. "Calm down." She said, softly. "Relax and clear your mind."

Willow sat and faced the girl, keeping her fingers joined with Tara's. The pair stared at each other, using each other to gain strength.

"Now, bring the spell you're looking for to mind. Concentrate on it." Tara said. "Can you picture it?" As Willow nodded, Tara smiled. "Now focus and use our power to bring it into being."

Willow again drew a deep breath and drew the energies needed for the spell. "Reveale." In a small flash of magical light, the spell she needed, inscribed on ancient parchment appeared from thin air and fell into her still naked lap. "This is it!" She said, lifting it up. She immediately began reading it.

"Red? Before you cast that, don't you think you should put some clothes on?" Faith said. "Unless you want Amy to see you naked."

Willow looked at Faith. "What?" She then looked down at herself. "Oh." She said, rising to her feet and pulling on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. "Forgot about that."

Faith moved over and pulled the rat out of the habit-trail. "If this works, you ain't gonna have to be worryin' about that cage no more." She said with a smile. She set her down on the bed. "Alright. You two can do your thing."

Tara again took Willow's hand and concentrated on the spel. They both read the text aloud, letting the magic flow from them. "Cho ki fu, non ipu. Cho ki fu, fatto. Disfa. Passato, illa periciolo, finita ila prova. Metti le cose a posto."

Faith was ready with a blanket, just in case the girl was restored san-clothes. And as the mystical light swirled and sparkled around the tiny rodent, they knew the spell had worked. They looked on with joy as the form of the rat melted away to become the tall chestnut haired girl from Willow's youth. Just as Faith had thought, Amy was buck naked. She immediately draped the blanket around her shoulders. "There you go."

The girl lifted her head and looked about, nervously. She stared at the pair of witches… and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

Faith stepped back, shocked. After a few seconds of screaming, Amy seemed to instantly calm…more or less. She looked around the room nervously.

Tara immediately went to the dresser and pulled a pair of sweat pants a t-shirt out. She moved slowly to the bed, offering the girl the clothing. "Y-you might want to put something on other than a b-blanket." She said, setting the articles down.

Amy looked at them, and back to Tara. "Who are you?" She asked quickly. She looked to Faith. "And you."

"Things have changed a bit." Willow said. "Why don't we step out so you can get dressed. Then we can talk, okay?"

Amy nodded rapidly. "Okay." She said, not moving.

The three girls left the room and congregated in the hallway. Faith stood nearest the door and kept her ears open. "I just hope she isn't too far gone." Willow said. "She was a rat for a long time."

Tara bit her lip and nodded. "She seemed p-pretty freaked out." She looked to Faith. "Can you actually hear her?"

"She's getting dressed." Faith said. "She's a little amped because she's in a strange environment that she's never been in before and the only person she knows is Red." She tapped on the door. "You decent?"

"Yeah." Amy returned. The three came back in, careful not to get too close. Amy sat, as she was before, with her knees up and her arms wrapped around her legs. She still seemed jumpy.

Willow moved over and sat on the edge of the bed. The girl moved a little away, but not much. "Do you want something to eat or drink?"

Amy shook her head. "No, thanks." She gestured to her throat. "Still kinda queasy."

"Okay." Willow said. Faith moved forward, startling the girl. "Oh, hey. No, it's okay. Faith's a friend."

Amy stared at the slayer. "I think I remember you. You were around senior year."

Faith nodded. She wasn't sure how much the girl remembered. "Yeah, I came to town a couple weeks after the school year started." She eased onto the bed.

Amy nodded again. "Mm-hm. Yeah. Just…you know." She leaned closer to the girls and whispered. "Everything feels weird. I mean, it's like…I felt like I was in that cage for weeks." Willow suddenly bit her lip, looking sheepish. "But it can still be okay…right? I-I can still get into the swing of things, like…" She perked up. "Prom's coming up. I-I'm so hoping Larry would ask me. We would make such a splash at…" She stared at Willow a moment. "Oh. Oh god." She sighed anxiously. "He hasn't asked someone else, has he?"

Given that neither Faith nor Tara knew who Larry was, Willow was on her own. "Uh, Amy…three things we have to talk about. One, Larry's gay." That got a surprised reaction from the girl. "Two, Larry's dead. And three, high school's…kinda over."

Amy looked at all three girls. "How long was I in that cage?"

Faith and Tara both shrugged. "Not really sure when you got all rat-ified, so I couldn't tell ya." Tara nodded in concert with Faith's statement.

She looked directly at Willow. "How long?"

Willow sighed heavily. "This is gonna be a bit hard to believe…you've been a rat for two years, ten months and eight days."

Amy sat there a moment. "I…need the use the bathroom." She said, getting up and running in, slamming the door behind her. All three women could hear her retching into the toilet.

Faith looked at Willow and shrugged. "I think she took it well."

Faith sat at the table tearing into the fried chicken. Willow was patiently filling her in on the past few years.

"You sure you don't want something to eat?" Tara asked the girl.

"Do you have any cookies?" Amy asked, suddenly.

Faith nodded. "Yeah. Me and little D got sweet tooth's from hell." She rose to her feet. "What are you feelin'? Peanut Butter? Oatmeal? Chocolate Chip?" She thought a moment. "I think we might have some Oreos…"

"No we don't." Dawn shouted from the living room. "At least not anymore."

"Scratch the Oreos." Faith said.

"Any kind. Not cheese."

Faith moved off it into the kitchen, coming back out with a bag of Chocolate Chip cookies. "You want some milk?"

"No thank you." Amy said, stuffing a cookie into her mouth. "Mmm. Good cookies."

Willow smiled. "So anything you need clarification on?"

"Buffy's dead?" Willow nodded. "And now there's a Buffy robot?" Again the redhead nodded. "And she lives here?"

"She's at work right now. Doublemeat Palace." Faith said.

Amy looked at her. "And…you're a slayer, just like Buffy?"

"More or less." Faith answered. "B's been doin' it longer. A bit better at it, I think. But she passed away and now it's kinda up to me."

Amy nodded. "Oh." She got up and walked into the living room, staring at Dawn a moment. The teen sat on the sofa with her feet up on the coffee table. She was currently licking the cream from the center of an Oreo cookie.

Dawn slowly turned to look at her with her tongue still stuck to the cookie. "What?" She asked the tall witch.

"I'm sorry to hear about your mom and sister." She said, softly. "I lost my mom, too."

"Yeah, but your mom was crazy." Dawn said.

Amy couldn't help but giggle. "Trust me, I was there. She traded bodies with me to be on the cheerleading squad."

"Buffy and Faith did that." Dawn said. "Traded bodies, I mean."

Amy nodded. "Willow told me. Faith feels really bad about it. I don't suggest it. Just in case you were curious."

Dawn chuckled. "No, I enjoy my body just fine." She paused a beat. "That didn't sound quite so disturbing in my head."

Amy giggled. "I wasn't going to say anything." She looked at what the girl was watching. "What the…? Faith, Willow, Tara come in here a minute." As the girls approached, she pointed at the TV. "Look at that."

Dawn turned the TV up. "…in critical yet stable condition as local authorities continue their investigation into the robbery that left one man frozen solid." On the screen, behind the reporter, they say the exterior of the museum with an ambulance and a group of gawkers looking about. "Live from the Sunnydale Museum, Ryan Morris, KOUS."

Amy cocked her head. "Weird."

Faith sighed. "I gotta go. I'm gonna check this out." She said, turning to head upstairs.

"I'll come, too." Willow said, turning to follow her. As Faith turned to regard her, Willow furrowed her brow. "Resolve face." She said, pointing.

Faith just rolled her eyes and trotted back up the stairs. She knew better than to argue.

Amy watched them go and looked to Tara. "Faith really takes her role seriously."

Tara nodded. "Yeah, she really does." She gave the girl a warm smile.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Faith and Willow stood amid the crowd as the paramedics wheeled the still frozen security guard out of the building on a dolly. "You know," Faith said, shaking her head. "I've seen a lot of weird shit before but this?"

Willow nodded her agreement. "I've never seen anything like this before." She chuckled. "Saying a lot for someone raised on a Hellmouth."

"You know of any spells or anything that can do this?" Faith asked her. "Any kind of… supernatural trinket or something?"

"Not that I know of. I'll get together with Giles and Tara and see what we can find. It could be some kind of new demon or something that we've never encountered before."

"Good thinkin'." Faith said. "Come on. Let's go take a look around." The pair moved away from the crowd, looking for a way into the museum.

"Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up." Spike said, moving from the shadows.

"Yeah, yeah." Faith said. "Didn't know about it till we saw it on the news." She sighed. "Can't believe the press beat me to the punch."

"You're slackin' slayer." Spike said, grinning.

"Ha, ha." Faith offered.

"Well, in her defense, she has been in prison for the past year and a half. She's a little rusty." Willow said, placating Faith with a weak smile.

"I will pinch you on your boob." Faith said, making a half-hearted grasp at her. Willow squeaked and backed away, giggling. The slayer turned back to Spike. "You've been around the block a few times." She thumbed back toward the security guard. "You ever seen anything like that before?"

He shook his head, looking at the commotion. "Can't say as I have. Something straight out of a comic book, that." He pulled a cigarette out and began patting himself down.

Faith pulled her Zippo and flicked it open, offering him a light. "You get a chance to scope out the area?"

He puffed his smoke to life and shook his head. "Not yet. Just got here."

"Let's go check it out. Know a way in?" She asked.

"Yeah." Spike said, turning toward the building. "Since the medics are trundlin' in and out, the alarm system isn't armed. Any old window will do." To demonstrate his point, he put his fist through one of the panes of glass and reached in, unlocked the window and pulled it open. "There you are."

Faith quickly leapt in and crouched, looking about. Not seeing anything in the immediate area, she turned and offered her hand to Willow. The redhead took it and climbed in. Spike jumped through the window gracefully, closing it behind him.

Faith looked around the museum and shook her head. "This is just weird. What in here could cause a guy to get frozen?"

"Well, nothing in _here_." Willow said.

"Not so sure about that, love." Spike said, dragging another pull of his cigarette. "That odd dinosaur thing there is a bit off-putting."

"It might make you frozen with fear if you saw one, but it wouldn't, you know, _freeze_ you." Willow said, looking at the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton. "Someone or some_thing_ did that to the poor guard."

Faith nodded. "Yeah, more than likely. But I don't get it." She pulled Willow aside and hid behind a large display case as a police officer moved through the building, looking around. He flashed his light this way and that.

"Where's Spike?" Willow whispered.

Faith didn't look, but simply pointed toward the ceiling. Spike sat upon the massive skull of the T-Rex with his arms draped over his knees. He looked at Willow and winked at her, smiling. As the cop left, the trio were again in motion.

"I'm to thinkin' someone broke in wanting somethin'." Spike said, looking around. "Plenty of things in here would spark a beasties interest."

Faith nodded. "I'm sure, but the chances are also good whoever showed up got what they wanted. And I can't see anything missing."

They rounded a corner and Willow stopped them . "Look!" She said pointing to an empty display case. She moved forward and examined the glass case. "Looks like something hot was used."

Faith leaned in and sniffed the glass. "Methane cutting torch. I've used one before."

"Awful extravagant for your average demon type." Spike said. "Typical demon would have just smashed the glass and taken…whatever this was."

"That's a good point. What _was_ in here?" Faith asked, likewise examining the case.

Willow pulled the tag out and read it. "It looks like…the Crest diamond. Said to be one of the largest and purest diamonds in the world."

Faith looked at Willow. "Seriously? That diamond had to be worth, what? A few million bucks? Why the hell wasn't there more security on it?"

Willow shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, you're right, there should have been." She suddenly looked shock. "You don't think it was an inside job, do you? Maybe it was a heist."

Spike chuckled. "Oh, yeah. The Sunnydale Job." He dropped his cigarette and ground it beneath his boot heel.

"Well, I can say it's a pretty safe bet that this wasn't a supernatural threat. Demons really don't care much about money." At Spike's look, "_Most_ demons." He nodded. She shook her head. "There's nothing for it. I mean, aside from the dude being flash frozen for freshness, there's nothing really strange about this. Even a small town's got greedy people."

They quickly stole their way out of the museum. "I'll keep my ear to ground. See what I can scare up." Spike said to the pair.

"Thanks. Appreciate it." Faith said to him. "Drop by the house if you learn anything." As he walked away, Faith stopped him. "Hey, Spike!" As he turned around, she tossed the Zippo to him. "You need it more than I do."

He caught it and smiled. "Thanks, bint." He stuffed it into his pocket and moved into the shadows.

"Was that lighter special?"

Faith shrugged. "Found it at a bus depot in Utah. Kinda shocked it still worked. Come on. Let's go home. See if we might be able to figure out what the hell is going on with the iced up rent-a-cop." They made their way to the car and headed back to the house.

Amy was on the sofa watching TV when they came in. "Did you guys find anything out at the museum? Is the guard gonna be okay?"

Both girls shrugged. "Couldn't tell you." Faith offered.

"Aside from the frozen guard angle, not much to go on. They stole a honkin' diamond." Willow offered. "Turns out it's just a typical, _a_typical Sunnydale robbery."

"You'd think if they had a huge diamond, they'd have better security." Amy said, turning back to the TV.

"You'd think." Faith said, following Willow into the dining room. Tara and Dawn were deep into the research. "Anything that might explain the freezing action?"

Tara shook her head. "No. We have Giles, Xander and Anya at The Magic Box going over what they have, but so far we're coming up empty."

Faith sighed and looked at her watch. "I'm gonna go and grab double B from work and get in a quick patrol. I'll see you guys later." She leaned down and kissed Tara, then turned and followed suit with Willow.

"Be careful." The blonde and redhead said, in unison.

Faith waved as she left, getting back into her car and heading out. She pulled up to the restaurant and parked. She kept an eye on Buffybot as she finished sweeping the floor and quickly set about mopping meticulously. The brunette could see Daniel watch her and smile brightly.

"God, she's beautiful." The boy said, whimsical.

"Been meaning to ask you, bro." Bruce, the shift supervisor asked, leaning on the counter watching the girl. "How's everything going with her?"

"Good. We've had a couple dates now. She's a wonderful girl." Daniel said. "I really like her and she really likes me."

"You fuck her?" Bruce asked him.

"No." Daniel said, looking at him. "We've only been on, like, two dates."

"Why not dude? I mean, she looks easy."

"You can stop, now." Daniel said, somewhat irritated.

"Well…" Bruce said, standing up. "I've you're not gonna hit it, I am." He moved from around the counter and walked over to the girl. "Hey, Buffy." He said, grabbing her ass.

The bot turned and quickly stiff-armed the man. Bruce was immediately thrown backward to slam into the counter, before flipping backward over it to the floor beyond.

Buffybot stormed over and leapt the counter in one swift motion. She reached down and lifted him bodily from the floor. "You don't get to touch my butt. Only Daniel get's to do that and you are not Daniel. Don't ever do that again or I'll do something incredibly unpleasant to you."

Bruce nodded rapidly. "Okay."

Daniel stood by and simply smiled. "You can put him down, now." He said, laying a soft hand on the robot's arm. "It's okay."

Buffybot dropped the boy and turned to Daniel. "I'm sorry. I didn't want him to touch me." She buried her face in Daniel's chest. "I'm sorry."

He held her and looked at Bruce. "It's alright. He was just…joking around. He didn't mean anything by it. You don't have to worry. He'll never do it again."

Buffybot looked at him and smiled. "Thank you for not being mad at me." She pulled him down and kissed him. "I have to go home now."

"That's okay. I'll see you tomorrow." He gave her a warm smile and brushed an errant lock of blonde hair out of her eyes. "Have a good night."

"I will." She said, before turning a burning glare at Bruce. She then moved to clock out and headed out to Faith's car.

"What was that all about?" Faith asked as the bot climbed in.

"Bruce, the supervisor touched my bottom. I didn't want him to."

"Apparently." Faith said, firing her rig up. "You really like Daniel, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. He's very nice to me. Most of the people here don't like me." Buffybot said, sadly.

"Why?"

"Because they say I make them look bad." Buffybot lowered her eyes. "I don't understand. Manny, the manager, says I'm doing very well. He said that I could be management material very quickly."

Faith chuckled. "Welcome to the workforce, B. I'll explain why the other employees don't like you." She sighed. "They have like, a checklist of everything you're supposed to do on a daily basis, right?" At Buffybot's nod, she continued. "And you're programmed with the skills to succeed at this job. So naturally, you do everything perfectly the way it's supposed to be done, according to the manager's wishes, am I right?"

"Yes. Manny said that I'm the best employee he has ever had."

"That's the reason why other people don't like you. You work hard, make sure everything is just right and you can do it fairly quickly. You only need to be shown how to do something once and you're perfect at it every single time. Some people get pissed off by that."

"So I should be worse at my job to make friends?" Buffybot asked.

"Absolutely not. See, the people that work most jobs are lazy as hell. They do just what they have to to get by. Just enough not to get fired. No matter how much money someone makes, they never think they're getting paid enough. So, they don't work very hard. You on the other hand bust your butt to get the work done. The fact that you do that, and management notices and praises you for it, is why other people don't really seem to like you. All the people that don't like you are bad employees and dislike you because you're a really good employee."

"So…they're jealous?" Buffybot asked.

"Now you're getting it." Faith said. "Don't change how you do your job. Now that the top brass are seeing how you handle things, they're gonna start paying closer attention to how everyone else performs and start replacing the dead weight."

"I hope they don't fire Daniel. He's a really good employee, too." Buffybot said, sadly. "I would miss working with him."

"If he's really good at his job, he won't get fired. They'd just get rid of the bad people."

Buffybot smiled. "He's really good at his job."

"Oh, word of warning. Amy isn't a rat anymore." Faith said. "Red found a spell that worked and turned her back into a human."

"Okay." Buffybot said. She suddenly looked crestfallen. "I don't have to go back into the closet, do I?"

"What? No!" Faith said. "Fuck Amy. That's your room, now. Bitch can sleep on the couch. Don't tell her I said that."

"Okay." Buffybot said, smiling. "I like my room."

Spike strolled along the street, pulling a smoke from his pack and lighting it. He took a drag and blew out a smoke ring. He stopped at the edge of an alley and leaned against the wall. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. He went over everything he knew and just thought. He lifted the cigarette up to his mouth and stopped, something suddenly dawning on him. He smiled and headed off.

Willy stood behind the bar, cleaning a glass. He looked up as Spike walked through the door. He ignored the vampire and went back to the task at hand.

Spike moved up to the bar and slammed his hands down on wooden surface. "I need some information, little man."

"Go away, Spike." Willy said. "I know you can't hurt me." He looked at the vampire. "Not unless you want a splitting headache."

Spike sighed heavily. "Look's like you got me all figured out." He jumped up onto the bar and behind it, to stand beside the tiny bartender. "The big bad not lookin' so big and bad these days, huh?" He grabbed a bottle of tequila from the shelf and poured himself a shot. He set the bottle down and lifted the glass. "Can't say as I blame you." He slammed the shot and immediately poured another. "This chip in my head, I'm about as dangerous as a school mom with pepper spray."

Willy snickered. "You're not even that scary. And that's seven bucks."

"Right." Spike said, pulling a ten dollar bill from his pocket. "Here." He offered it to Willy. As the man reached for it, Spike pulled it back. "But you see, little man. There's something you're not understanding about this here implant of mine. Been living with it quite a while now. Can't hurt people." He put the cash away and pulled the cap off the tequila and started slowly pouring it on the bar top.

"What the hell are you doing?" Willy said. He reached for the bottle, but Spike simply gripped the front of his shirt and lifted him from the ground.

"See, mate. I can't just…pound the information out of you. Chip prevents that. One for the good guys. But see, I'm an expert on bending the rules. I may not be able to just thump you against the wood until I see gray matter." He emptied the bottle and tossed it across the bar. He then pulled the Zippo out of his pocket and flicked it against his pant leg, producing a flame. "But I can make it one of the most expensive nights of your life." He looked at the man with a smile. He slowly began lowering the flame to the bar. "What's it gonna be, mate?"

"Don't!" Willy snapped. "I just got the place the way I like it."

"Then I suggest you start talking. Otherwise we get to see what pretty colors all this alcohol burns in." Spike said. "Security guard at the museum. Frozen solid. What do you know?"

"It wasn't none of my regulars. I don't think I've ever heard of a demon doing that before." Willy said as Spike set him back down. "Honest, I haven't heard of any new big boys from out of town. Whoever or whatever it was hasn't come through here."

"Spells." Spike said. "Anything that could do something like this."

Willy looked him in the eye. "If that's where your mind is going, you know just as well as I do who you need to be talking to."

For a moment Spike stared at him. Slowly his face went sour. "Oh, bloody hell. I hate that bastard."

"Hey, you and me both." Willy said. He wiped up the tequila. "Would you really have torched the place?"

Spike just gave him a sinister smile. "What do you think?" He asked, lighting a cigarette.

Willy stared at him. "I don't know."

The blonde vampire chuckled. "That's right, mate." He turned walked out of the bar. "You don't."

The bartender shook his head and looked around the establishment. The patrons all were paying rapt attention to their beverages and deliberately not looking at him. "Some fat lot of help you winos are." He said to them. No one responded.

Spike left the pub and began patrolling the streets. He knew exactly what he was looking for. To say he didn't care much for the individual he sought was an understatement. He truly hated the man. But right now, he needed answers and this man, though a shrewd and despicable bastard he might be, he was the one to provide them. Spike also didn't trust the man as far as he could throw him.

For almost an hour, he moved along the streets and alleyways, just feeling. The dark wizard he was looking for wasn't the most powerful practitioner out there. He knew for a fact both Willow and Tara were stronger in the magic department, but neither of them were quite as dangerous. He stopped and concentrated for a moment. He could feel the subtle shifting in the magical spectrum. He knew the feeling and understood what it meant. He'd found what he was looking for.

He sighed and stepped through the magical barrier and emerged in a dank, ill lit waiting room. The walls were a sickly, dingy beige, the carpet was grimy and looked like a vacuum cleaner hadn't come near it since Kennedy was in office and the furniture was so haggard that even the Goodwill would probably turn it down. Magazines, none newer than the grunge music movement sat scattered about the table. Four clients waited; two men and two women, sat on the sofas looking like strung out junkies. Spike's face twisted into a mask of disgust. Men like this pissed him off. He got people addicted to the pull of dark magicks and extorted incredible amounts of… whatever he could get out of them to give them their magic fix. Narcotics were by far not the worst thing someone could get addicted to. Being a drug addict usually just ended killing the user. But _magic_ addiction could have some incredibly horrible side effects. He's seen people burn down an entire block of flats because the spells went terribly awry.

Suddenly the door opposite the way he came in opened. He sneered as he looked at the man. He was tall, having maybe an inch on the vampire. His face was drawn and gaunt, with a scar bisecting his right eye. His features were framed by a head of short greasy black hair.

An extremely disheveled looking chestnut haired girl sat up on the sofa. "Rack, Rack, it's my turn." Her voice was filled with strain.

An average looking dark haired boy moved forward. "No, man, you said I was up."

The girl sneered at him. "Bull! I've been here for hours!"

The wizard gave a smarmy smile to the vampire. "I believe…this gentleman is next." He said with a grand sweeping gesture toward the back room. "Come on in."

Spike gave one last look at the pitiful occupants of the room and stepped past the ragged wizard. He gazed around the richly appointed, if shoddy inner sanctum. "Been a long time, Rack."

The man shut the door and stepped around, keeping out of reach of the vampire. They had history, these two. "Not since Rio, three years ago." He couldn't help but smile. "How'd that _love_ potion work out for you and Drusilla?"

Spike glared at the man. "You know bloody well how it went, you bloody pillock." He moved toward the man. "Promised to rip what was left of your face off if I ever saw you again."

Rack didn't back down. He simply cracked his knuckles as mystical lightning sparked over them. "What's stopping you?" He asked, snidely.

"You're not worth effort, anymore, mate. Besides that." He pulled out a cigarette. "Heart went a different way."

Rack chuckled, dropping onto the sofa. "I heard. Fell in deep with the slayer. Awful lot of that goin' around these days. Too bad you weren't the first." He grinned. "Oh, that's right. _You_ never got there, did you?"

Spike glared at him. "Careful where you step, mate. Or I might rethink you being worth it."

"Now why aren't I afraid, Spike?" Rack asked.

It was the blonde vampire's turn to snicker. "Because you never were that sharp." He drew a long drag off of his smoke. "See, truth of the matter is," He quickly reached down and lifted the man from the sofa and turned, slamming him into the wall. Rack was completely shocked by the undead man's speed. "I'm not exactly sure you're human, Rack." He drew closer. "What say I find out the hard way?"

Rack smiled at the vampire. "You forget who you're dealing with, blondie." He pressed a hand to the vampire's chest, loosing a powerful bolt of magic…that did absolutely nothing. His face belied his shock.

Spike grinned menacingly. "See, friend? I didn't forget who I was dealin' with." Spike drew back his fist and slammed it into the wall a hair's breadth from the man's head, shattering the plaster and drywall. "Next one goes through your face." Spike cocked his head. "Don't know. Might be an improvement."

"What do you want, Spike?" The man tried to sound defiant, but the fear in his voice was unmistakable.

"You know everything about magic that goes on in this town. Bloke was frozen stiff at the museum tonight. You know how it happened. Tell me and you can keep your face." He sneered. "What's left of it."

Rack swallowed. He knew damn well without his magic, Spike would be able to rip him apart. He had no idea how the so-called chip in the vampire's head worked. He was a rather gifted wizard. Word was that Spike couldn't harm humans. But with the magic use, would the chip differentiate? He really didn't wanna find out. "It, it wasn't magic."

Spike slammed him against the wall again. "Don't bloody lie to me. Men don't just go all frozen out of thin air, mate. Something caused and I want to know what."

"I'm not lying to you, man. It wasn't magic. It was…it was something else." Rack said.

"What?" Spike growled. "Gettin' awful tired of askin'."

"Something…strange. Something different. I've…all of us, the underworld, man. We've all been feelin' it. It's…it's weak, man, but it's there. Summoning demons, spells man. Low level stuff. And, and, and science. No one's takin' it serious, man. It's all…it's all bullshit. Someone's toyin' with you, man. Just…trying to have a little fun. Party tricks and streamers."

Spike dropped him and stepped back. "Bloody wankers." He said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wad of cash. He tossed it to the wizard. "For the hole in your wall."

Rack counted out two hundred dollars. "Spike, wait." The blonde vampire turned back toward him. "How did you counter the spell?"

Spike dug into his pocket and pulled out a small stone. "Deflection Stone." He tossed it to the man. "Twenty four ninety nine at The Magic Box. Buy two get one free. Only has one use, mate. Should have tried another spell. That was the only one I had left." With that, he left the house.

Rack looked at it and smiled. "I do not envy anyone on the wrong side of that." He said, tossing the stone aside.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

Spike looked at his watch as he approached the house. It was just after one in the morning. He took a chance and knocked on the door. It opened to reveal Buffybot smiling back at him. "Oh. Hi Spike." She said, stepping aside.

He groaned and entered the house. He was not pleased to see the blonde robot. "How are things going for you in the world of fast food?"

She nodded happily. "I'm doing very well. I have a boyfriend now."

"Look, pet. We talked about this. It isn't…"

"His name is Daniel." Buffybot said, cheerfully.

"That's good." Spike said. "Wait, what?" He had to do a double take. "You're actually dating someone?"

She nodded. "He's really sweet. We've been on two dates now and he really likes me."

"He know you're a…you know?"

"He knows I'm a robot. And he's okay with it. He thinks it's neat." Buffybot sat on the sofa and watched television. "Why are you here?"

"Needed to talk to Faith and the Glindas. Figured out what caused the discount Bobbie to get all flash frozen." Spike said, sitting down on the sofa. "So this new boy you're with…"

"Daniel." Buffybot said. "He's a good man. He thinks the world of me and doesn't mind what I am."

Spike had to admit, that while he was glad that the blonde robot didn't make off-handed comments about his…about him, he was somewhat saddened. He'd had the bot built specifically for his own personal needs. He enjoyed the time he spent with her. He knew deep down that she wasn't what he really wanted and gave her up to the group to help with Glory and to take up the slack when Buffy passed away. But somewhere inside, he still felt like she was his. And to know that she was now pursuing someone that wasn't him and seemed _happy_ about it? Well…it kind of hurt a little. "Well I'm glad for you." He said, honestly. He was glad for her, if not a little jealous. "The girls in bed?" He asked her.

Buffybot nodded. "I could go and wake them up if you'd like."

He rose to his feet. "No. I'll just go and catch a little bit of sleep myself on the cot in the basement."

"You can't." Buffybot said. "That's where Amy is sleeping."

"The rat girl?" Spike asked. "Didn't know she was back among the…non rodents."

Buffybot moved from the sofa. "If you want, you can have the sofa. I can go and watch television in my room."

He smiled at her. "Appreciate it, love." He said to her. "And pet?" She turned to look at him. "You're doin' good."

She offered him a soft smile and quietly ascended the stairs. He leaned back on the sofa and sighed. "Things are definitely changin'." He said. He stretched out on the sofa and relaxed. He closed his eyes and drifted off. It had been a long night.

Faith was the first one up, as usual and gently extricated herself from the pair of beautiful witches. She took a quick shower and went downstairs to get everyone's day started. She stopped when she saw Spike passed out on the sofa. She smiled and went into the kitchen, starting a pot of coffee.

She turned the oven on to let it preheat. She took out the collection of lunchmeats and cheeses that she'd bought the last time they went shopping. She took the bread out and gathered the stone ground brown mustard and Miracle Whip. She then set about preparing a nice Roast Beef and Smoked Cheddar Sandwich for Dawn, a Cured ham and Pepper Jack for Tara and lastly a Roasted Chicken and Medium Cheddar for Willow. All three sandwiches were treated with mustard and spread. To each girl's lunch, she added a banana, a small snack size bag of chips, Cheetos for Dawn, plain Lays for Tara and Sour Cream and Onion for Willow. Lastly, she added a small cup of chocolate pudding to the bags. Jotted their names on all three and put them in the fridge.

Then she grabbed bacon, eggs and frozen shredded Hashbrowns from the fridge and freezer before firing up the large electric griddle. She added a small bit of oil to the pan and waited for it to heat up.

She pulled the massive broiler pans out and laid the bacon out on them, placing them in the oven and setting the timer. She then went about pouring the Hashbrowns out onto the griddle and patiently manned them. She grinned as she heard the alarms in both rooms, and the subsequent complaining that came with it being too early. She moved over, pulling the bread out and began making toast.

Tara, being a farm raised girl, was the first to make her way to the kitchen. She moved over and gave Faith a sensual kiss. "Good morning." She said, softly.

"It's definitely looking up. Have a seat and I'll get you some breakfast." Faith said, motioning to the stool. Having cooked breakfast for the girls for over a month, she knew exactly how everyone liked their food. She quickly scrambled up a pair of eggs, then added some Hashbrowns and, after pulling the bacon from the oven, placed a few slices on the plate. She topped it off with two pieces of toast and a mug of coffee with cream and sugar. "There you go."

Tara smiled brightly at her and began eating. "Thank you."

Faith gave her a like smile and began plating Willow's food. The girl preferred her eggs sunny side up. So she cooked them to order and gave her meal the same treatment as Tara's, with the exception of a glass of orange juice instead of coffee.

The redhead, much like Tara, pulled Faith in for a warm kiss. "Good morning, sweetie." She said, taking the plate and sitting down.

"Mornin'." Faith returned. She chuckled as she heard the thundering feet of the youngest housemember. "And here comes trouble." She said, frying up the over easy eggs. She put them on the plate with the Hashbrowns and bacon. She added the toast before the plate disappeared from her hand.

Dawn was seated and tearing into her food by the time Faith turned around. The teen kicked her feet and bobbed in her seat. "Mmm." She said, eating. "This is good."

"Coffee or juice?" Faith asked the teen. She didn't like the idea of Dawn drinking coffee, but to deny her would be the pot calling the kettle black.

"Juice, please." Dawn said between bites. She took a sip as soon as Faith handed her the glass.

"Alright." Faith said as she dished up her plate. "So what's the deal with Amy?"

Willow just looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"She livin' here or what?" Faith asked. "I mean, I ain't got a problem with it, but…what are we gonna do? We gonna leave her in the house alone all day or…?" She stood against the counter eating her breakfast.

"I…I haven't really thought about it. I mean…" Willow turned to Tara. "What do you think?"

"I can actually go back and stay with my dad." Amy said from the basement door.

"It's nothin' against you." Faith said. "I'm just paranoid by nature."

Amy shook her head. "It's no problem. I'm just still getting used to things. A little jumpy." She took the plate of food Faith handed her. "Thanks."

"How's your dad gonna feel about that? You were gone a while." Dawn said.

"Dad's pretty oblivious. I'll tell him I was staying and mom's parents place. He doesn't talk to them, but it's just because he doesn't have anything in common with them. He won't question it. I'll tell him that we discussed it after graduation."

"Smart." Faith said. "Or stupid, depending on how you look at it."

"I do appreciate what you all did for me. Letting me stay here to adjust." She said, sheepishly. "I can't thank you enough."

"I got an idea." Faith said. "Hey, Red? Today's Friday. You to a pretty light load on classes today, right?"

"Yeah. I just have a morning class and another at one." Willow offered.

"Can you blow 'em off? Take Amy out and give her a chance to get back into the groove?"

Willow bit her lip and looked at Amy. The girl looked expectant. She then turned to Tara. "Do you think…?"

"It's only two classes. You're one of the star students. I think your teachers would forgive one day." Tara said, patting the girl's arm.

Willow smiled and regarded Amy. "You wanna hang out with me today?"

"I'd love to."

"Good. It's all settled then." Faith said. She looked at her watch and pulled out a pair of large travel mugs. She filled one with black coffee for her and another with cream and sugar for Tara. "Alright ramblers. Let's get ramblin'." She said, handing one of the mugs to Tara. She kissed the redhead goodbye. "Do you need any cash?"

Willow pulled out her wallet and sighed. "I'm flat broke."

Faith took out a pair of hundred dollar bills. "Have fun today." She said, kissing her again. She then looked at Amy. "You take care of our girl, now."

The chestnut haired girl smiled. "I will."

Faith tossed the keys to Tara and turned to run upstairs. She knocked on the bedroom door and waited a moment.

"Come in." Buffybot said happily. She sat on her bed in a pair of pink panties and a white cotton bra watching television. "Hi, Faith."

"Just lettin' you know we're heading out. Spike's asleep on the sofa…"

"He came in last night. He said he knows what caused the frozen security guard at the museum."

"Good to know. Willow's taking the day off and takin' Amy out for some fun today. Let her get used to being human again." Faith smiled. "If you wanna have Daniel over today, it'd be alright."

Buffybot brightened. "That would be fun."

"Just…make sure Spike is gone before you do." Faith said. "That might be a little awkward."

"Bye Faith." Buffybot said, smiling.

The brunette slayer turned and sprinted through the house to the garage. Tara sat in the passenger seat speaking with Dawn. Faith ran and slid across the hood, climbing into the car.

"All you're missing is an orange Dodge Charger." Dawn said, giggling.

"Nice car, crappy show. Even crappier movie." Faith said, firing the car up. "Killer soundtrack, though."

"Seems to be a thing." Dawn said. "Lot of movies out lately that suck, but have good soundtracks."

Faith nodded as she backed out of the garage. She dropped Dawn off first, wishing her a good day. She handed her a ten dollar bill. "Grab a coffee or something with lunch." She said, hugging the girl. "Pick you up after school."

"That's cool." Dawn said, waving. She turned and trotted up to Janice.

Faith climbed back in and sighed. "She's growin' up quick."

Tara nodded as the pair watched Dawn walk into the school. "Soon th-there's gonna be _boys_." She said, looking at Faith with a grin.

The slayer slowly turned her eyes to the smiling witch. "That isn't funny." She drove away from the high school toward the college. "Maybe she'll find a nice girlfriend."

"A girl like you?" Tara asked.

"I said a _nice_ girlfriend." Faith said, chuckling.

"You are nice, Faith. You just don't know it." Tara said. "You've gotten up every morning since you moved in and made breakfast for everyone in the house. You make sure our laundry is done. You do the lion's share of the housework and you do most of the grocery shopping. Not to mention training Dawn, patrolling, and keeping the finances straight. You are a wonderful girlfriend."

Faith shrugged as she drove. "I just don't think that you or Red should have to worry about that kind of shit. You guys shouldn't have to concern yourselves with anything but your educations. Besides that, it's not like I work all that hard."

"You fight demons for living and work twenty five hours a week at a construction site." Tara offered.

"I enjoy fighting vampires and the construction work isn't actually that difficult. It's just a lot of schlepping. Nothing complicated. Not like I'm riggin' explosives or anything."

"Why do you do that?" Tara asked.

"Do what?" Faith asked, curious.

"Why do you downplay what you do? You don't see being a slayer as that big a deal, but it is. You don't see what you do around the house as being all that helpful, but it's a god send. You can't stand people thanking you for the things you do. I've seen you when you've patrolled. When you save someone and they thank you for it, you get uncomfortable. Why?"

The girl shrugged. "I don't know. I just…I don't know why I don't like it. Something in my brain just gets wiggins when people thank me for shit I was gonna do anyway."

"Alright. The slaying I get. It's what you were born to do. But the cleaning? The cooking? The working? You plan on doing all that anyway?"

Faith sighed. "Why does it matter, really? I do it and that's that. I don't know why I do it. I just…if it needs to be done, I'm gonna do it. You and Red go to school, come home and do an assload of homework. You two don't have the time or the energy to dust shit, do dishes and laundry. I mean yeah, I suppose we could get Robo B in on that, but Red has a hard enough time getting her to do her job at the DMP. So I just do what needs doing. I don't really see a reason not to."

"And yet, you're uncomfortable when we thank you for it." Tara said.

"Is what it is." Faith said. "I mean, I appreciate that you guys appreciate at it, but gratitude isn't why I do it."

"I'm sure it isn't." Tara said. "But you do have our gratitude all the same."

Faith smiled. "It _is_ nice, I'm not gonna lie. Maybe it's something you guys can help me get over."

"We're trying, Faith." Tara offered softly. She exited the car as Faith pulled to a stop in front of the college. "Have a good day at work. I'll see you tonight."

"Later, T-bear." Faith said, waving to the woman. She made sure Tara got into the building before taking off toward the construction site. She was going to a be half hour early, but she was okay with that.

Willow sat behind the wheel of the Jeep and looked over at Amy. "Where did you wanna go?"

"I don't know. Somewhere fun. Anything…not involving a big wheel." The girl said, smiling.

"The Bronze?" Willow asked. "We can dance and, and talk and stuff."

"It's a start." Amy said, chipper.

The pair pulled up to the club and Willow paid the cover before stepping inside. The music was provided by an entirely forgettable alternative emo band. Willow, for the life of her, couldn't remember what they were called. "Wanna shoot some pool?" The redhead asked.

"Sure." Amy returned. They ordered a pair of drinks from the bar and made their way to the pool table and quickly racked the balls. As Willow reached for a pool cue, Amy put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, Willow. We're witches. We don't need those."

Willow looked at her, furrowing her brow. "Um…you kinda need one to play pool."

Amy shook her head and stepped back to the front of the table. She knelt down and looked at the cue ball. "I'll break." She said, before nodding at the ball. The white sphere smacked into the collected balls, sending them scattering. She sank two striped and smiled. "Looks like you're solids." She then took her next shot and missed. "Your turn."

Willow bit her lip and looked at the table. "I-I don't use…I mean I'm not supposed to just use magic like that."

"Why not? You have the power, use it. Besides, it's just pool. What's it gonna hurt?" Amy said. "It's easy."

The redhead thought a moment. "Okay." She said, looking at the cue ball and propelling it forward, immediately sinking a solid. "Neat." She said, smiling. The girls sunk into a rhythm as they talked. "A lot has changed." Willow offered.

"Like the dorkiest boy in school getting married." Amy said, waiting for Willow's turn.

"I know. Xander engaged. I couldn't believe it either." She took another shot.

Amy just shook her head. "That's so weird." She took her shot. "So what's she like?"

Willow studied the table a moment. "Thousand year old capitalist ex-demon with a rabbit phobia." She moved around Amy.

"That is so his type." She said as she watched the redhead sink another ball.

As they checked the angles on the table, a pair of boys moved up to the pair. "Hey." One of them said, smiling widely.

"Hey." Willow said, nonchalantly. She immediately went back to game.

Amy turned and smiled brightly. "Hey." She said, moving closer. The boy leaned down and whispered something in her ear. "Well, let's go then." She turned to Willow. "We're gonna go dance. Do you wanna come?"

Willow shook her head. "Oh, uh, no, you go. I'll keep an eye on our drinks."

Amy looked at her thoughtfully. "Okay. I mean, because, if you want something a little more your style…" She looked to an incredibly beautiful dark haired woman chatting with an attractive blonde woman. As Willow turned and looked, Amy gave a sinister grin. "I'm sure we can swing that." She snapped her fingers.

The brunette turned and eyed Willow up and down. Her eyes, her hair and her shape, immediately made the witch clench in places not spoken about in polite company. But it wasn't the girl in front of her that she was thinking of. It was the striking similarities the woman shared with Faith. They had the same sensuality, but Faith seemed more…predatory. Willow turned back to Amy. "No, really, no."

The woman got up and walked over, her hip's swaying as she moved. Willow had to give her credit. She had a swagger that would make Cordelia jealous. The boys looked on, their eyes wide with interest. Willow was suddenly very nervous. "Hi." The woman said, seductively. "Brie." She offered her hand to the girl.

"Willow." The redhead said, nervously. "Nice…um…top." She turned back to Amy. Shaking her head. "No. Thanks, but no."

"You sure?" Amy asked her.

"Yes. I'm…she's…I'm taken." Willow said. "Kinda twice."

Amy shook her head. "It's cool." She snapped her fingers again.

Brie suddenly looked confused. "Oh, uh, sorry." She turned and walked back to where she was sitting, trying to placate the angry blonde woman.

"So, uh, are we gonna go?" The boy said, looping his arm with Amy's.

The girl looked back at Willow. "You sure you're gonna be okay?" She asked.

"Oh yeah, go. I'm all kinds of good." Willow said, breathing easier. She watched the girl dance away with the pair of guys and smiled. "I wish Faith and Tara were here." She said, somewhat despondently. She made her way to the bar and ordered another drink. She stole a few looks at Amy before going back to her drink. She sat quietly through a pair of songs, sipping her martini before ordering another one. She took the toothpick with the olive on it and rolled the pimento up. "No use looking at me like that. It's the gullet for you, mister." She took the olive into her mouth and ate it quickly.

Amy made her way back to the bar. "Hey! Sorry, I kinda got caught up." She took a sip from her own martini.

Willow shook her head. "No, it's okay."

Amy looked down at the glass and thought a moment. "You know…if rats could dance? They probably wouldn't gnaw so much."

Willow chuckled and nodded. She looked past Amy as the pair of boys moved up to them. "Hey, come on. We're just getting started." The first boy offered, dancing a little.

Amy looked at Willow and shook her head. "I think I'm gonna sit this one out."

The second guy grabbed Amy. "Nuh-uh! You can't, you can't just work us up like that and then just…"

"Hey!" Amy snapped, moving away from them.

Willow narrowed her eyes and looked at the pair. "I think she said no." Her voice was dead calm.

The boy who grabbed Amy gave Willow a dismissive glare. "Well, nobody asked you …Ellen." The pair snickered at their own joke.

Amy and Willow exchanged a look and turned back to the boys. "You wanna dance?" Amy asked.

The first boy nodded. "That's all. Nice, slow…relaxing dance."

The girls looked at each other again, sharing a shrug. They both then gestured at the boys, summoning their inner strength.

In a heartbeat, the pair of boys were stripped to just a skimpy loincloth. They stood in go-go cages several feet above everyone's heads and both began to dance although their faces looked shocked and appalled.

The pair of witches smiled giddily. "Gee." Willow said, contentedly.

"I think I do feel more relaxed." Amy said, cocking her head to look at the pair.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

Spike yawned and opened his eyes, starting as he saw Buffybot standing over him staring. "Jeez, pet. Don't scare a bloke like that."

"You have to leave." Buffybot said, her tone neutral.

"Something wrong?" Spike said, rising to his feet stretching. "Where is everyone?"

"Faith is at work. Willow took Amy someplace. Not really sure where they went. Tara and Dawn are at school. You have to leave." She added again.

"Heard ya the first time." Spike said. "Why, just out of curiosity?"

"Faith said I could have Daniel over and I don't want you here when he gets here."

Spike wasn't sure what to think or feel about the statement. He did agree with the blonde robot, however. He really didn't want to be around if – when the pair decided to get…physical. "Then I'll be on my way." He said, nodding. "I'll stop by later tonight to talk to the ladies. Have fun with your boy toy." He moved to the closet and pulled out the heavy black motorcycle helmet and gloves.

Buffybot watched him and moved over, touching his arm. "Spike."

He turned to regard her. "What?"

"I'm…I'm sorry." She said to him.

"For what?" He asked her.

"You had me made. You wanted me. You're the reason I exist." She sighed. Despite the wholly unnecessary gesture, it was very human. "I'm sorry I'm not who, _what_ you wanted me to be."

Spike stared at her a moment. He then pulled her in and kissed her. Not a deep, passion filled kiss that both knew him capable of, but a soft brushing of the lips. The kiss of a love shared and put to rest, but never forgotten. "You were everything I needed, when I needed it, pet. There was never anything wrong with you. I was a fool for loving where I had no place loving. Even though I was never always there for you, you loved me like no one could have. And that love was real." He tapped her chest. "No matter what it might be made of, you still have a heart. And you opened that to me." He caressed her cheek with his thumb. "And I'm sorry I couldn't open mine to you." With that, he placed the helmet on, buttoned up his coat, pulled the gloves on and left the house.

Buffybot stood there, watching him walk away. She shut and locked the door and moved back up, sitting on the bed. She lay back down and didn't make the phone call. Suddenly, she wasn't in the mood.

Xander stood beside Tony with a huge grin on his face. "Five hundred bucks on Faith." He said, crossing his arms.

The site foreman looked at him and back to the brunette girl. He's seen Faith do some incredible things in the time she'd been working for him. "I don't know man. That's an S-100 Bobcat. It's got over a thousand pounds of lifting capacity. I mean, Faith's a strong chick, but…"

Xander shrugged. "Put your money where your mouth is."

He rubbed his chin and nodded, offering his hand. "You got a deal."

Xander took it and smiled. "Easiest money I ever made."

The workers were all gathered around, taking a much needed break from the work to watch a hell of a spectacle. Faith waited patiently as Hector secured her feet to the large pieces of girder. She'd made the boast that she could out lift the small Bobcat they had on site. None of the boys believed her. She had a hundred dollars on it and was a twelve to one underdog. She agreed to do a tug of war with the little machine. The most the vehicle had lifted thus far was just over fourteen hundred pounds. Four hundred beyond its suggested operating capacity. It routinely did so. Faith had never been seen carrying more than three to four hundred pounds.

"Are we good?" She asked the large Hispanic man.

"Yup." He said, offering his fist. "Good luck."

She bumped it without hesitation. "Just make sure to get my c-note ready, bud." She checked to see if she could move her feet. Given that the tiny rig could drag her hundred and forty pound ass all across the yard, she was allowed to anchor herself. It would just be a test of physical strength. She had to hold the chain and keep the vehicle from pulling her free of the straps that held her. She knew what she was doing was pretty damn dangerous. She'd made the promise to Tony that she wouldn't file any kind of claim if she stupidly hurt herself. That was pretty much the only reason that he was allowing this to happen. That and he kind of wanted to know if she was telling the truth or just blowing sunshine up everyone's asses.

The driver of the Bobcat made sure the chain was tightly fitted to the back of the rig. Faith likewise wrapped a tow strap around her waist and connected the chain to a u-hook and screwed it together. "I'm good." She said, giving the driver a thumbs up.

He nodded and climbed into the tractor. He fired it up and let it idle.

"Alright. The clock starts as soon as the chain goes taught. You gotta hold it for thirty seconds." Tony said to her.

She smiled and nodded. "You boys might wanna get your cameras out. This is gonna be a hell of a show. And when it's over, make sure you pay up."

They all pulled phones out to film it. Faith looked the guy behind wheel and motioned for him to go. She then gripped the chain in her gloved hands and prepared herself.

The boys all held their breaths as the slack in the chain disappeared. Tony started the stop-watch. The tractor was immediately halted in its tracks as Faith leaned back, gripping the chain like a vise. She grimaced as the muscles in her arms, shoulders and chest tightened. She took a brief second and wrapped her arms, one at a time in the chain. The tires of the Bobcat began to spin as it fought for traction.

"No fucking way." Tony said. "You have got to be kidding."

"I told you." Xander said. "She's a badass."

Faith leaned back further and began, inch by inch, to pull the piece of equipment, hand over hand. Her arms burned with the strain, but she wasn't the type to just give up. "Come to Faithy, you son of a bitch." She growled, dragging the machine back.

After a torturous eternity – and having dragged the Bobcat the better part of ten feet – Tony called time.

Faith let go and flopped onto her back, breathing heavily. "Jesus Christ." She said, staring at the blue sky.

Xander and Hector ran over and freed her feet, letting her legs drop. "That was awesome." Xander said, kneeling next to her.

"I just made ninety six hundred dollars." Faith said, grinning. "And I think I tore a muscle in my shoulder." She said, grimacing. "Christ, this hurts." She flexed her left shoulder.

"It's swelling up pretty bad." Xander said. "But it's almost two. You're off anyway. You'll be fine by Monday, right?"

She nodded, before bringing her knees up and kicking herself to her feet. She looked to the boys around the construction site and held her hand out. "Awful lotta cash coming my way, methinks."

"Fuck, man." Hector said. "Remind me never to piss you off." He handed her twelve one hundred dollar bills. "I'm gonna be eatin' ramen and peanut butter for the rest of the month."

She sighed and handed him back two hundred dollars. "I ain't gonna break you, dude." All told, after everyone paid up, she ended up with eight grand even. "Tell you guys what? Barbecue Sunday afternoon. My place. Steaks and beer on me. What do you say?"

"Hell yeah." They all shouted, happily.

Xander looked at Tony. "Five hundred bucks." He said, likewise holding his hand out. "I love the way that sounds."

"Yeah, I'll just bet you do." He slapped the money into Xander's palm. "Girl's a freak."

"And damn proud of it." Faith said. "I'm outta here, hoss."

"Alright. Have a good weekend. I'll see you Sunday. Should we bring anything?"

"Yeah. That sexy man-ass of yours." Faith said, slapping his butt. "Looks good in jeans, bud."

He laughed and shook his head. "See you then." He turned the crew. "Back to work, ladies."

Faith left and immediately headed to the local pizzeria. She dropped almost five hundred dollars ordering pizza to be delivered to the construction site at four thirty sharp. Thirty pizzas total with several bottles of soda.

She then drove to the high school to pick up Dawn. As she sat, she rubbed her sore shoulder. She could feel the pain subsiding already. Not for the first time, she thanked the slayer healing.

Willow leaned on the banister in the upper level of the Bronze, looking down on the dancing crowd with Amy beside her. The same band continued to play. The boys were still in the go-go cages dancing away. Several of the people were in costume, dressed as things such as strawberry, wearing some sort of strange mask and who knows what else.

"You know, this music isn't quite…" Willow said, gesturing. Suddenly, the band simply …changed to become the band members of the Halo Friendlies. She sighed and smiled, resting her chin in her palm.

Amy giggled and likewise gestured. A white clad figure appeared and floated about, looking a little confused before shrugging and dancing along, airborne, with the music.

Willow motioned with her hand and two boys, standing side by side began shrinking and growing respectively. She chuckled to herself as they began to freak out.

Amy wiggled her fingers and several of the dancers become bleating sheep. The pair laughed at the spectacle, and simply watched the mayhem. It was a nice change just to cut loose with their magic.

"So…we've kinda played this scene." Willow said, sounding bored.

Amy nodded. "Yeah." She said, looking around.

Willow waved her hand. "Return." With a wash of magical energy everything was turned back to normal. The band became the emo boredom it started out as. The boys in the go-go cages were suddenly clothed, standing by the bar, just looking around confused. They spied a pair of cute girls and immediately set off in pursuit.

"We should probably head out." Willow said, standing up.

"Where should we go next?" Amy asked.

"I gotta head home." Willow said, looking at her watch. "Tara's gonna be getting home from school soon."

"It's way too early to go home yet." Amy said, grinning.

Willow sighed. "Look, I know you wanna go have more fun and all, but I-I can't. I've got things I gotta get done. I gotta help Tara get dinner started and have to make sure Dawn gets her homework done."

Amy giggled. "You sound like a mother."

"Some days…" Willow said. "Don't worry, it's the weekend. We can do something fun tomorrow, I promise."

Amy shrugged. "Fair enough." She said, following the girl out of the club.

Tara gathered her books and left the campus building heading toward the street to catch the bus that would take her home.

"Hey, sexy? Need a ride?"

Tara turned to see Faith behind the wheel of her Roadrunner, keeping pace with her. Tara smiled brightly and moved to climb into the passenger side. As she slid in, she leaned over and kissed the slayer. She then turned and offered a soft smile to Dawn. "I th-thought you would be at the Magic Box, training."

"Nah. Not tonight. Screwed my shoulder up showing off at work." Faith said, flexing her arm to work out some of the stiffness.

"What happened?" Tara asked, suddenly concerned.

"Oh, it's nothing bad. Just pulled a muscle in my left shoulder. It's already just kinda stiff and sore right now. Hurt like the blazes when it happened, but it's been almost an hour and half and it's starting to feel a lot better."

"What did you do to hurt yourself?" Tara asked.

"Got into a tug of war with a Bobcat." Faith said, heading for the house.

"There was a wild animal at your work site?" Tara asked.

Dawn giggled, but Faith shook her head. "No. Not that kind of Bobcat. A piece of heavy machinery. Think of it as a really small bulldozer."

"You got into a tug of war with a bulldozer?" Tara was dumbfounded.

She started when Dawn reached around in front of her and showed her a picture on her phone. "Kinda like that."

"Oh. I've seen one of those before." She looked at Faith. "Did you win?"

"Yeah." Faith said. "Dragged the thing over a dozen feet as it kept trying to move forward. Made eight grand. Wiped a lot of the guys from the site out, but that's what they get for underestimating me. Oh, word of warning. We're having a barbecue at our place on Sunday. I invited the guys from the site over for steaks and beer. Figured it's the least I can do for putting them all in the poor house."

"How many people?" Tara asked, nervously.

"Couple dozen." Faith said. "Don't sweat it. I'm not makin' anything fancy. Just some spud salad and steaks."

"I suppose that should be alright." Tara said. "I think I pulled out a couple pounds of hamburger."

"I can bust out some meatloaf." Faith offered.

"No. You worked your butt off today and you hurt yourself. I'll make dinner. I'll make beef meatballs and spaghetti."

"Then we gotta make a pit stop." Faith said. "Gotta have cheesy garlic bread." She looked at Tara. "It's just a thing. Right squirt?"

"Oh yeah." Dawn said, happily. "Definitely a thing."

It was just after four when Faith pulled into the garage. Everyone climbed out and headed into the house. The black Jeep came into the driveway as the garage door closed. Faith and Tara were putting the groceries away when Willow and Amy came into the house. Both were happy and smiling.

"Did you guys have fun?" Faith asked.

"Willow!" Amy said, excitedly. "She's a freaking amazing witch now." Tara immediately got upset. Faith, however just listened intently. "I couldn't even keep up with her today."

Willow grimaced a little and turned to the girl. "Amy…"

"No, it's true!" Amy said, looking directly at the pair. "I mean, I can do _some_ transmography, but she is messing with dimensions and everything, it was awesome! This blowhard dude, first she made his mouth disappear? Thank god. And then…" She saw the reaction on Tara's face and stopped suddenly. "I'm talking too much. Sorry. It's just been…you know…me and a bag of pellets for the last few years, so…"

"No. It's cool." Faith said. "I'm just glad you two had a good time." She looked at Willow. "You didn't hurt anyone or, you know…open a gateway to hell or anything did you?"

"What?" Willow asked. "No!"

"Oh." Faith shrugged. "Then we're cool." She went back to what she was doing.

Tara, however wasn't so forgiving. She just looked at Willow sadly and turned away from her, trying to form meatballs with her shaking hands. Faith leaned over to her. "You forgot to season the meat, T-bear." She grasped the girl's shoulder and paused when she saw tears flowing down her cheeks. "Aw, shit." She looked back to Amy. "Can you give us the room for a few minutes?"

"Sure. Mind if I um…use your shower?" She asked, sheepishly.

"Yeah, knock yourself out." Faith said. She waited till the girl left and looked at Tara. "What's up, T-bear?"

The Wiccan shook her head, trying to work with the hamburger.

"Tara…I'm sorry. I just…I got carried away." Willow said, moving up to the girl.

"What the hell is going on?" Faith asked. "Why are you so pissed off, Tara?"

"The magic." She said, softly. "I just…" She turned to look at Willow. "How could you?"

"I said I was sorry. I didn't plan, I mean…I didn't do anything that would hurt people."

"That's not the point." Tara said. "You don't respect the power. You don't really understand what it can do."

"Okay, stop." Faith said. "Will one of you, I really don't care who at this point, please tell me what the hell is going on?"

"I used magic today." Willow said, dejectedly.

"Okay." Faith said, looking from one girl to the other. "So?"

"So?!" Tara shot back. "She's just using it willy-nilly. She's going to hurt someone."

Faith raised an eyebrow. "How? From sounds of it, she just blew off a little steam. Nothing wrong with that. It's no different than when B and I sparred with each other back in the day. Just workin' out some frustration. No harm, no foul."

"How can you say that?" Tara asked.

"Look." Willow said, suddenly defensive. "Just because you're afraid of magic doesn't mean I have to be!"

"Whoa, Red. Cool the engines, sweetheart. No one's attacking you. Don't get all defensive."

"How can you say that she isn't attacking me?" Willow turned from Faith to Tara. "I don't respect the power. I'm gonna hurt someone. Sounds like an attack to me."

"That's exactly why you shouldn't use magic, Willow. Your power is tied to your emotions. The angrier you get the more powerful you become. And when you're mad, you have less control." Tara said, pleading.

"Yeah, well…I was plenty powerful today and you know what? I wasn't mad at all." Willow narrowed her eyes. "At least not until now."

"I swear to fucking god, if you two start a witchy throwdown in this kitchen I will knock both of you the fuck out." Faith said. "I don't care how strong either of you are, neither of you are faster than me." She was done with the civil bullshit. "Now calm the fuck down, right now." She looked at Willow and pointed to the stool. "Sit." Willow hesitated a moment. "Don't make me tell you again." The redhead did as she was told. She looked to Tara. "Ass to counter, cross your arms." The blonde did as instructed. "Now. Tara, I want you to explain to me, in great detail, why you think magic, in any form is a horrendous thing."

"I-I don't. Magic is fine. It's wonderful if used for the right reasons."

"And would you list those reasons for me, please?" Faith asked.

"Helping people. Defending the weak and helpless. For the greater good." Tara said, meekly.

"Why do you think that?" The slayer leaned against the island, crossing her arms.

"It's just…magic isn't a toy. It isn't something to be used for…for personal gain. Yes, I have done so before, but I never did it lightly and did so sparingly. I've never just used magic because I could."

"Okay." Faith said. "So your _personal_ belief is that magic should be used only when absolutely necessary?" At Tara's nod, Faith continued. "I'm not gonna compare magic to my slayer abilities because it's not like I can choose to turn those off. But I am gonna ask you this. Do you require Willow to believe the same way you do? Does she have _any_ choice on how she chooses to view magic?"

Tara bit her lip. She knew what Faith was doing. If she said no, that gave Willow her permission to use magic whenever she felt like it. If she said yes, she was a domineering control freak. She had to give the slayer credit. It was a fair question, but it was also an extremely loaded one. Either way she answered, she was wrong. "That's not fair." She said, lowering her eyes.

"I know." Faith said. "And that's precisely my point." Tara and Willow both looked at her. "What you're doing to Red is just as unfair. She's using magic because it's something she enjoys doing. She made sure she was careful. She didn't do anything to hurt anyone. There was no damage done. She has the gift of magic and wanted to use it." She looked to Willow. "Have you ever done something like this before?" The redhead shook her head. "And how long have you been doing spells?"

"Since I did the spell to give Angel his soul back. Just before Buffy sent him to hell. I was studying quite a bit before that, though." Willow offered.

"Okay, that was what? Four years damn near?" Faith looked to Tara. "She's been able to give some serious witch fu since then and this is the first time she just let her hair down and ran with it. It was fun to her. There's no reason to ball her out for it."

"But…"

"I understand why you're hesitant to use your power." Faith said. "You were brought up believing your magic was evil. Your mom was ye on uber-badass when it came to magic and you ain't no slouch either. But you not only respect the magic. You fear it. And because of that, you see any use of it as bad and wrong, unless someone's life is on the line. There's nothing wrong with feeling that way, T-bear. But that's you. Red shouldn't be made to feel that way. Yeah, she should be careful. She should make sure nothing she does is going to hurt someone." She looked at Willow. "And I think, in consideration of her girlfriend's feelings, she should be a _bit_ more sparing and not going on routine day long casting benders…" She looked at each girl. "Using the magic isn't a bad thing. It's just…at thing." Faith smiled. "Tara? Maybe you should go with Amy and Willow next time they wanna go and have some fun. Throw a couple spells around just to have some fun with it. Relax a little. The purpose isn't to not use any magic at all. The point is to respect it, like you said."

"But that isn't me." Tara said. "I'm not like that. I don't wanna get used to enjoying the magic. Because the more of it you do, the more you'll want to."

"That's true." Faith said. "The same can be said for a lot of things. The more you get, the more you want. Kind of like German chocolate cake. I love it. I could eat it all damn day. But I know it's bad for me. So I don't eat it all the damn time. But that doesn't mean I can't buy one every now and again and just get down with it. Magic is like that. All things in moderation."

Tara stared at Faith long and hard. She was stone cold afraid of her magic. She feared what it could do, not just to her, but to others if she lost control. But at the same time, her mother taught her absolute control of her power. It was the first lessons they worked on together. And despite her misgivings about Willow's activities throughout the day, the redhead did show incredible discipline by not doing anything lasting. She just cast a few spells to have some fun. That proved that Willow had near as makes no difference the same degree of control that Tara did. Willow was unrefined in her power, sure, but she could harness it fairly well. Today proved that.

And if Amy was touting her magical chops, being someone that had been into magic since she was a child, was saying something. Tara looked at Willow. "I want you to promise me something."

"Anything." Willow said, softly.

"We work, one hour every night to teach you better control. And you promise me you won't do things like this all the time. I don't want you using magic for everything." She held up a hand to stop Willow. "I know you don't currently and I love you for that. But I wasn't lying. The more power you have, the more you'll be itching to use it."

"I promise." Willow said, moving over and resting her hands on her girlfriends' hips. "If you'll help me, I'll try to be better with it. But I had _fun_ Tara. I'm also burned out. I'm tired, I'm achy." She furrowed her brow. "And I was laughing so much, I think I ate a fly."

"I ain't kissing you till you brush your teeth." Faith said, moving away from her.

Tara put her hand over Willow's mouth and kissed it. "Now go take a shower and do what Faith said." She smiled softly. "I love you, Willow. I always will."

"I'm sorry." Willow said. "I just…I did, Tara. I got caught up with the moment. But I was really careful. I didn't do anything that I knew would have any kind of lasting effect."

The blonde sighed. "I'm sure you didn't. And I'm sorry I'm such a diehard bitch about it."

"It's how you were raised." Willow smiled at her. "But you should…next time we go out, you should come with us." She chuckled. "Won't be for a while, though. I'm pooped."

"I'll think about it." She said, turning the girl and pushing her toward the door. "Now go and shower. Then you can come down and help with dinner."

"Yes ma'am." She said, marching out of the kitchen like a soldier.

Tara turned to Faith. "I have one question for you." The slayer looked at her. "When did you, ye on angry at the world slayer, become the reasonable one?"

Faith didn't smile. She just stared at her. "You're right. I was. But when I was inside, I learned something. I learned a lot of things, actually, but when I was talking to my shrink, she asked me something. She had just started seeing me and asked me one question. 'Who are you so angry at?' She told me she wanted me to answer the question when she asked me to and not a moment before. For almost two months of weekly sessions she never brought it up. It was actually pissing me off at the time, but finally, after I'd stopped thinking about it, she asked for my answer." Faith chuckled. "Funny thing. By that point, I wasn't really pissed off anymore. I was just…content. I was just dealing with the day to day. No hate, no anger, no rage. Just Faith Lehane behind bars, you know?"

"What did you tell her?"

"I told her that I wasn't angry at anyone. When she asked me who I _had been _angry at, I couldn't give her an answer. Because after looking at it, I really didn't have anyone to be pissed off at. Truthfully the only person to really fuck me was Wes and I gave him what I, to this day, think he deserved. B screwed me a little, but at the end of the day, when everything went down, she was just as freaked out as I was. She didn't know what to expect from the Finch thing. I realize now that blaming her for it was a pretty shitty thing to do and she had every right to be pissed off at me for it. Don't really matter what my reasons were." She sighed heavily. "I'm just tired of being mad. Tired of being pissed off at everything." She looked at Tara. "You've been a big help with that. Red has kinda, but you? Bein' all understanding and shit? That's worth more to me than anything."

"I think you're giving me credit I didn't earn." Tara said. "I just know the real you, Faith. I know that a lot of the bluster and bravado was a front. It was what you'd been forced to show the world for so long that you were beginning to believe you were the mask you wore and not the person you are deep inside." She moved over and wrapped her arms around the slayer. "But I see you for who you are. And who you are is a wonderful woman that does everything she can for those she loves. That's what I see. And that's what Willow sees. That's why we love you."

Faith was the kind of person that tried very hard to never say something she didn't mean. She stared into Tara's soft blue eyes. She was captivated by them. The way Tara looked at her match her heart clench in her chest. "I love you, too Tara." She said, her voice whisper soft. She thought she'd feel strange saying the words that she'd never spoken to anyone. She'd never even told her mother that. Granted, her mother rarely gave her the opportunity…or a reason. But to say it to Tara now, just…felt _right_.

The blonde, for her part smiled broadly. She knew what those words meant, especially from someone like Faith. She pulled the girl in and kissed her fiercely. She never thought she'd hear them from the brunette slayer.

But heard them she did, and her day suddenly became perfect.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

The four girls sat around the dining room table eating the delicious spread of spaghetti and meatballs. True to her statement, Faith had cooked up four huge loaves of parmesan garlic bread.

Both she and Dawn were deep into their second heaping plate of pasta. Buffybot wandered into the room and sat down, looking somewhat distraught.

Faith noticed her melancholy immediately. "What's up, Double B?"

"I'm feeling…strange." The bot said. "At least, that's what my programming tells me."

"What are you feeling? Do you want me to take a look?" Willow asked.

"I don't think you can help." Buffybot said. "I have to talk to Faith."

Willow frowned at the response. "I can…"

"Nah, Red. It's cool." Faith said, getting up. "I think I know what the deal is. It's not a programming issue. Come on, B. Let's talk outside." The pair made their way to the front porch to watch the sunset. "So what's up?"

"I talked to Spike this morning."

"He was on the couch asleep when we left. I'd have imagined him being here a while." Faith said, sitting on the banister.

"I told him he had to leave because I was inviting Daniel over." Buffybot stood staring at the sun. "He told me things." She looked at Faith. "I still love him."

"There are a lot of people that would believe that because you're a robot, you don't know what it is to love someone."

"Do you believe that?" Buffybot asked.

For her part, Faith shrugged. "Don't matter what I believe. But let me ask you this. How do you know you love Spike?"

"Because after we talked, I was sad to see him go. I lay in my bed all day and couldn't think of anything else. I didn't call Daniel, because I didn't want to be with him."

Faith nodded. "Sounds like love to me." She stood and moved closer. "But you have to understand something. Spike and I have talked about you. He doesn't love _you_. He loved what you represented. He told you that didn't he?" As the robot nodded, Faith smiled. "Welcome to the human race, B. But you do owe yourself something. When you think of Daniel, what's the first reaction?"

Buffybot closed her eyes and brought an image of the somewhat awkward teen to the forefront. A smile crept across her lips.

"There you go." Faith said. "If you think about him and smile, there's something there. Don't throw that away lusting after something you can have. Most of us never end up with the man or woman of our dreams. A lot of the time we have to settle for second best. There's nothing wrong with it. If you're happy when you're with Daniel, then just be happy. Spike isn't for you. Just…think of him as being in love with your twin sister. Except…now she's dead and you remind him of her."

"That was quite morbid." Buffybot said.

"Yeah, didn't really think that one through." Faith said. "But just don't cast aside someone that thinks the world of you for someone that'll never be what you want them to be."

Buffybot nodded. "I understand. I just needed to hear someone say it."

"I'm lookin' out for ya, B." Faith said, hugging the robot.

"I know you are, Faith. And I thank you for it." Buffybot stepped back. "I have to go to work."

Faith lifted and eyebrow. "I thought you had tonight off."

"Manny called to ask if I could pick up a shift tonight. Someone didn't show up and he needs someone to close."

"Fair enough. More money." Faith patted her shoulder. "Be careful. What time are you off?"

"Midnight." Buffybot offered. "Can I go to Daniel's house after?"

"Of course you can." Faith said, smiling. "Have a good night. I want details tomorrow."

"Okay." The bot said, heading off to work.

Faith chuckled and moved to enter the house. She stopped and gave a smile. "Hey." She said, turning around.

Spike emerged from the shadows with a cigarette in his hand. "Evenin' slayer." He said, taking a drag. He watched the bubbly blonde robot walk away. "She alright?"

"Yeah. She will be. Had a crisis of the heart." Faith said. "She's still a bit hung up on you."

He nodded. "I got that earlier today. It was a bit heartening and a bit sad to be honest." He looked at Faith. "This bloke she's seein' now. He a good sort?"

Faith chuckled. "Why? You feelin' a little jealous, bleach?"

He sighed and shrugged. "A bit, I'm not gonna lie. But there's no chances now. Despite what my eyes wanna tell me…she's not Buffy."

"No she's not." Faith said. "And there ain't a day goes by I don't thank the gods for it."

"I suppose I can understand where you're comin' from there. Buffy was still around, you'd still be rottin' in the pokey."

Faith shook her head. "It's not that. I mean, yeah, that's a thing, but…that isn't why."

"What's the reason, then?"

"She's got a lot of Buffy's perks, but not a lot of her drawbacks, you know? I mean Robo B loves being slayer fast and slayer strong. She likes fighting vampires. She doesn't see it as a huge burden. That and she's pretty. I don't have to tell you that. And she's just..." Faith shook her head. "She's got like, an innocent quality that Buffy doesn't have. Maybe she never did, I don't know. It's just obvious that they're different people."

"And that one of 'em's a robot." Spike said.

"You know, I don't even think about that most of the time. I never forget it, but I don't dwell on it. I just…" Faith smiled and hugged herself in the cool evening breeze. "She's like the younger sister I never had."

"Thought that's what nibblet was supposed to be." Spike said.

Faith sighed. "She's more like the snotty daughter that doesn't like to eat her peas."

"Hate peas." Spike said, finishing his smoke. He lifted his foot and ground the butt against the bottom. "Don't wanna have cigarette butts all over your yard." He said as Faith looked at him.

"Appreciate it." Faith said. "Come on. Spaghetti if you're interested. Tara made meatballs."

"Sounds good." He said, walking behind her.

"Hey Spike." Tara said, smiling.

"'Ello Glinda." He returned. "Smells good in here."

"There's plenty if you want some." Dawn said. She pulled the chair out beside her. He tossed the cigarette butt into the trash and washed his hands before sitting down. "Where'd Buffy go?"

"She had to work. Someone didn't show for their shift and Manny knows she's the go to girl." Faith said. As Spike sat down and started dishing up a plate, she asked him what he found out last night.

"I talked to an old acquaintance and he said that it wasn't magic that iced the museum Bobbie. Something to do with science." He took a bite of a juicy meatball and indicated the meal with his fork. "This is nice, Tara." She smiled warmly at him and he kept on. "He says the underworld's been sort of in a buzz over something new. Low level amateur stuff." He looked directly at Faith. "Putting two and two together, _I _came up with three."

Faith stared at him a moment, but it was Willow that voiced it. "Oh, god. Warren, Jonathan and Andrew." She looked at Faith. "Some sort of, of freeze weapon."

Faith looked at her. "Really?" She said, furrowing her brow. She then gave a half-nod. "Yeah, I can see that. Warren's smart enough to build robotic girlfriends and time-skippy devices, a freeze ray isn't that far out of line, to be honest."

"Wh-what are we going to do about it?" Tara asked.

Faith shrugged. "Fuck 'em. They went through all of that to steal a diamond. I mean, yeah, they're dangerous…ish, but that's a pretty pedestrian problem. We're out their fighting demons and shit. I ain't got time to worry about guys that are breaking into a museum to steal shit that, in all honesty, should have been a lot better protected in the first damn place. And the diamond was insured, so truthfully, no harm, no foul. They pulled a heist and got away with the goods. Not that it's gonna do them any good. That diamond is famous, so it isn't like they can just walk into a pawn shop and fence it."

"But they're using magic and, and science together to do crime." Willow said.

"Who cares?" Dawn asked. "Let 'em. That's what we have police for. Warren tries that freeze ray shit…"

"Language, kiddo." Faith said, sternly.

"Sorry." Dawn said. "But they tried any of the techno freeze ray crap on a half-way competent cop and he's gonna get perforated with a Beretta. Tech genius or no, he isn't bullet proof. And if he is wearing body armor, a cop would notice and put a round in his dome." She took another bite of her spaghetti. "Those geeks really aren't our problem. Not unless they come at us directly."

Willow and Tara looked at each other and had to admit, that both Faith and Dawn were right. As strange as their methods seemed to be, what they were doing, in the grand theme of things, was very human. And human criminals were, largely, the police's problem. "So we just do nothing?" Willow asked.

"Tell you what, Red? Why don't you log onto the Sunnydale PD website and give them an anonymous tip that you know who was responsible and where to find them?" Faith said. "Be the hero on this one."

Willow nodded. "That's not a bad idea."

Tara smiled. "A-at least we're doing something. I feel better about that." She looked at Spike. "Thank you for looking into it for us."

"You're welcome." He said, dishing up another plate. "This is really good. Best pasta I've ever had."

"And you've probably eaten at the finest restaurants in Italy, so that's saying something." Tara said smiling brightly.

The girl was half right. He had eaten at some of the finest eateries in Italy. But it wasn't the pasta he was dining on. But these girls weren't the ones to admit that to.

Buffybot went through her nightly routine of cleaning. Daniel had the night off, but was thrilled that she was coming by his house after work. She was extremely excited. Her two co-workers, both girls that couldn't stand her, stood together behind the counter, watching the girl clean.

"She's just such a brownnose." Janine said, with her arms crossed. "Always kissing up to Manny."

Gloria, the shift supervisor, nodded. "And she's always so cheerful. Just look at her. She's smiling and sweeping the floor. Who does that?"

Janine turned and grabbed a bottle of ketchup from the counter and tossed it out onto the floor, shattering it and making a mess. Buffybot turned and regarded her. The girl grinned smugly. "You missed a spot."

"No I didn't." Buffybot said. "You just threw that. Please clean it up so I can finish my work. I have plans when I am done."

"I find I really don't care so much. The lobby is part of your job. Now clean it up." Gloria said.

"I have already finished sweeping that area." Buffybot said, her smile fading. "It is mess Janine made, so it is a mess that Janine is going to clean up."

"Well, I'm the shift supervisor." Gloria said. "And I'm telling you to clean it up. You have to do what I say."

"Not according to page forty one, paragraph seven, section three. 'No supervisor can require an employee to engage in any task found to be degrading, biased or in any way unethical or immoral'." The robot quoted. "And forcing me to clean up someone else's intentional mess is exactly what that rule covers. So, you cannot, according to the employee handbook, force me to do that." She walked over and handed the broom to Janine. "You must clean up your own mess. Refusing to do so is dereliction of duty and subject to disciplinary action by the current supervisor. If the supervisor refuses to take action, then the employee is free to take their grievance to the assistant manager, the store manager, the district manager…"

"Just clean it up." Janine shouted. "Or I'll fuckin' smack the shit out of you."

"That would be assault." Buffybot said. "It would go on your record, and is punishable by ninety days in jail and a one thousand dollar fine." She cocked her head. "You would lose your job, and with the ninety days you spent in jail, your utilities would be turned off, you would be evicted from your home, and fines on all of your debts would accrue." She gave Janine a moment. "Or you can simply clean up your mess."

"You are such a bitch." The girl said, pushing her out of the way to clean up the ketchup.

"I can't be." Buffybot said. "I am not a female canine."

"God, you're fuckin' stupid." Gloria said.

"_You_ are already going to get fired." Buffybot said. She pointed to the security cameras. "That has recorded everything you did."

"They don't even work." The woman said, snappish. "They haven't worked in years."

"My friend Willow came in and fixed them." Buffybot said, proudly. "Manny was very happy. She even showed him how to use them."

Gloria suddenly looked scared. "You're gonna…tell him?"

"Yes. It's my duty to report anything that happens while I'm on shift. Just as it's your duty to do so when you're on shift." Buffy cocked her head. "Haven't you been keeping your report log filled out?"

"N-no." Gloria said. She looked to Janine who had finished cleaning the sticky red mess up.

"He said he's going to start collecting them again and checking them with the camera footage to make sure everyone is doing their job." Buffybot said.

"How come he never said anything?" Janine asked.

"Why should he?" The blonde asked as she wheeled the mop bucket out into the lobby. "Filling out the proper paperwork is part of the job. He shouldn't have to remind you how to do it. I am not going to be sad to see either of you go. I don't like working with you two." She looked at them. "You're troublemakers and you are lazy." She then went back to work.

"Fuckin' bitch!" Janine shouted, lifting another bottle of ketchup and throwing it at the blonde.

Buffybot caught it without looking and simply moved over and set it down on a table. "Thank you. I needed to get this table a replacement bottle anyway." She looked at Janine smiling. "That was very helpful." She then frowned. "But as I said, I am not a female canine. I can therefore, not be a bitch. It is a physical impossibility to spontaneously change species without the use of magic or radical evolutionary mutation." She never stopped mopping the entire time.

Gloria just shook her head. "God, you are such a fucking idiot."

"How can I be?" Buffybot asked. "Janine is the one that continues to believe I am a female dog, when clearly I am not. If you take that into consideration, she is mentally deficient. Not me."

"Just stop talking to her." Gloria said. "She's lost in her own little world." The girl looked up at the cameras. She then went into the manager's office and turned on the old monitor that had once served as the manager's eye in the sky. She was filled with dread as she realized that all of the cameras in the store were again functional. "Fuck me."

Giving the girls no more thought, Buffybot finished her work quickly and by the book. She then put away the cleaning supplies and clocked out. She left without another word. Both girls watched her go.

"Was she telling the truth?" Janine asked, still staring at the pretty blonde. She turned to see Gloria looking pale. "They work?"

The supervisor nodded. "Yeah." She said. "We're gonna get fired."

"Dammit." Janine said. "That fuckin' little blonde bitch."

Buffy ran from the Doublemeat Palace to Daniel's house. She knocked on the door and waited with a smile. The young man opened the door, obviously happy to see her. He stepped aside to allow her in. "Thanks for coming." He said, happily.

She stepped in and looked up at him. "Gloria and Janine don't like me."

"Gloria and Janine don't like anybody." Daniel said, moving over to sit on the sofa. "They treated me like shit when I first started, too."

"Why do they do that?" Buffy asked as she sat very close to him, resting her head on his shoulder and placing her hand on his leg. "It doesn't gain them anything."

"It's just the way they are." Daniel said. "They're just bitches, I guess."

"No they're not." Buffy said, looking at him. "They're human."

He laughed. "I keep forgetting. Sorry. If someone is being a bitch, it means they're being cruel for no reason. It also means a female dog, yes. But it's also slang for a mean person."

"Oh." Buffybot then furrowed her brow. "I'm not mean."

"No." Daniel said. "I think, honestly you aren't even capable of it." He likewise narrowed his eyes. "Did one of them call you a bitch?"

"Janine. Several times. And Gloria called me stupid." She shook her head. "I'm not stupid, am I?"

"No. You're just naïve. But you're a robot. You don't have a lot of normal human interaction so things escape you sometimes." He took her hand and smiled at her. "And I couldn't care less."

"So are your parents home?" She asked him.

"No. Dad's hunting with his buddies all weekend and mom is at a scrap-booking convention in San Francisco. I've got the house to myself. She told me not to have any wild parties while she was gone." He chuckled. "I think the wildest party I've ever thrown was having Chinese delivered during our Pathfinder game instead of pizza."

Buffybot kicked off her boots and stood. She moved over to the stereo that sat in the entertainment center. She pulled a stack of CD's out and began sifting through them. Most of them seemed to be country or classic bubblegum oldies. She sighed at the choices and stopped as she held Highway to Hell by AC/DC. She flipped it over and read the track listing. She grinned and popped it open, placing it in the CD player. She skipped to the third track and turned the volume up a bit.

Daniel watched the girl intently. "What are you doing?" He asked her.

Buffybot didn't answer. She just looked at him coyly over her shoulder. As the lilting guitar of _Walk All Over You_ began playing, she began moving with the music, again harkening back to her original programming. She was, after all, built for carnal facilitation. And she used every bit of that to make the boy's blood boil.

Daniel sat wide-eyed as she danced for him. She slowly pulled her clothes off, article by article. She left absolutely no doubt in his mind as to what the night's outcome would be. He could feel himself becoming rather aroused at the display. The girl was beautiful and moved like a professional. Whoever had programmed her had made damn sure her sexy was cranked up to eleven.

She danced with a serpentine sensuality, revealing her perfectly sculpted body to him. As the song ended, she rested on his lap, stark naked. She slowly moved herself over his denim covered groin. She leaned down and kissed him. He kept his hands on the small of her back. She reached back and took hold of both of his hands and moved them down to her bottom. He gave a squeeze, causing her to moan slightly in his mouth.

The pair held the embrace for several seconds before she got up, knelt and began removing his shoes and socks. He was in complete shock. He'd never, in a million years, believed he would land a girl like this. She was so far out of his league, that it wasn't even funny.

But yet, here she was, stripping him down. He wisely didn't say a word. She again straddled his lap and stared into his eyes as she did what she designed to do. She smiled at his reaction. She knew at that moment that she wanted nothing more than to be with him and only him. She leaned down and kissed him again as she moved, eliciting every sensation she could from the boy. She was determined to make this the best night of his life.

Electrical impulses built into her physiology, a product of Warren Mears mechanical and electrical genius, made certain that she enjoyed it as thoroughly as Daniel did. Soon she was matching him octave for octave as they made love on the sofa.

The boy didn't last long. But Buffybot didn't mind. In seconds, she revived him. They made love again on the sofa, the stairs, and finally twice in the boy's bedroom before he was completely spent.

Daniel lay on his bed flat on his back, breathing heavily covered with sweat. Buffybot lay with her head on the boy's shoulder, her fingers drawing lazy circles on his stomach and her slim leg thrown over his. "That was fucking awesome." He said, winded.

She smiled brightly. "I'm glad I could make you happy."

"I do have a question." He looked at her beautiful face. "Can you…do you _feel_ it when you…have sex?"

Buffy nodded. "Yes. I was originally built for this."

He raised an eyebrow. He suddenly found the idea of having sex with someone else's sex toy to be a bit…skeevy. "Really?" His expression spoke volumes.

She suddenly frowned at his reaction. "Does that bother you?"

"Have you ever…with another guy?"

She bit her lip and nodded nervously. "I'm sorry." She said. She slowly rolled over and stood, moving to the door.

"Where are you going?" He asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

"You don't want me anymore." She said, reaching for the door. "It's alright. I'm used to it." She added, sadly.

He jumped up from the bed and put his hand on the door, keeping her from opening it. "Don't." He said. He gently turned her and stared down at her. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like that. I'm not gonna lie, it's a little weird, but…" He leaned down and kissed her. "I can deal with it. So you're not a virgin. I shouldn't be surprised." He caressed her cheek with his thumb. "As beautiful as you are, I would be very, very surprised if you haven't been with someone else."

"You…are not upset?" She asked him.

He smiled and lifted her from the floor with a bit of a grunt and carried her to his bed, setting her on the edge. He dropped to his knees and parted her slender legs. He leaned down and went to work.

She immediately gripped his hair, moaning. Apparently he wasn't upset at all.


End file.
